


Mass Effect: Turned to Ashes

by Efa_Aurora



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Minor Character Death, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-02-08 11:00:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 38
Words: 187,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12863091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Efa_Aurora/pseuds/Efa_Aurora
Summary: The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Organic races fight for survival until the return of the Reapers marks their extinction. Fate brings Commander Shepard and Doctor T'Soni together in the depths of Therum, but can their relationship survive the oncoming flames?This is being moved onto this site after a long hiatus, hopefully so that I will now come back and finish. Formerly named "Hazardous Situations"





	1. All According to Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the first piece of fiction I think I've ever written, at least outside of a classroom. After reading a lot of Mass Effect fanfic, I finally decided to give it a go myself. These early chapters are being directly coppied over from their previous hosting site, and will not be receiving any serious edits... unless I spot something that I can't bare to leave. Hopefully you'll agree my writing has improved once I start posting new content.
> 
> I'm currently coming back to this after a very long break for a multitude of reasons. I hope to finish this Shepard's story through the trilogy and I would like to continue the story beyond, probably in a sequel to address the aftermath. For those still here, let's get started.

**Prologue**

"So what about Zabaleta? He's seen a lot of action, never failed a mission, and he understands that casualties are unavoidable."

"He's hardly the ideal candidate. He'd rather kill his target than take them alive. Doesn't have a problem with civilian casualties either. Seems he blames the Alliance for what happened to his father after Mindoir."

"Sometimes a heavy hand is required Captain, surely you know that better than anyone else here."

Anderson refused to comment on the subtle prod at his own history. "And a level head is always a requirement, surely you understand that... Ambassador." He took a deep breath, unwilling to raise his voice to try to make his point. "Sending a soldier out seeking revenge isn't going to win us a lot of support with the Council, or any race for that matter."

The ambassador glared back at the Captain. Unwilling to let the Captain pass over his candidate so easily, he couldn't help but let some of his dislike for the military officer slip into his tone. "We're looking at soldiers here, not bloody fairies. Show me one candidate that can weigh the consequences of their actions, and I'll consider them."

Both men looked to the same side as the sound of a cough crossed the room, having almost forgotten the Admiral was present.

"What about Shepard, she excelled through her N7 training, one of the few to achieve the N7 rank. Her actions on Elysium alone can prove her ability. She -"

"Just another jarhead. All she did was kill a lot of batarians, I don't see how that shows any understanding of repercus-"

Anderson slammed, a fist slamming down onto the table between the Ambassador and himself, unable to stop his own anger seeping into his voice. "She attends every memorial for that attack, speaks each time about how she regrets being unable to save everyone. I attended the last one myself. Even blames herself for the Alliance's attack on Torfan, despite being in the N7 program at the time. She's the only reason that colony is still standing! Damn it Udina, give me two more like her, and I'd have the perfect squad!"

The Admiral cleared his throat to regain the attention of the two men arguing in front of him. "She was raised on a military vessel by her mother. Her father died while she was young ensuring the crew of the Makalu made it off ship. She understands the meaning of duty. Her commanders always report they feel she gets to know her squad too personally, but there's never been a report of misconduct, not even a complaint to her name. She might be a soldier, but she's a shining example of Humanity and the Alliance."

Udina nodded slowly at the Admiral, "I'll make the call."

A fourth figure stepped forward, placing himself at the empty side of the table. "She sounds ideal, I'll contact the Council to voice my support, and then head to the Sol system. I want to see her for myself. This mission should provide the ideal opportunity to do so."

Captain Anderson raised himself from his seat, addressing the Admiral and Ambassador. "I'd better see to the readiness of my ship. I'll depart as soon as Shepard is aboard." He looked at the fourth figure in the room. "Hopefully I'll see you on board the Normandy, Nihlus, this will probably be the fastest deployment she's ever had."

With that, the Captain left the room, followed by Nihlus, each heading to begin their own preparations.

Udina looked back at the Admiral, clearly unhappy with the outcome. "So what do you think Hackett? Is our alien friend being honest with us, or is this turian just trying to make a mockery out of us like the last time?"

The Admiral looked down at the table and shook his head, "He's doing what he believes is best, just like we are. I see no reason to doubt him, and the Council obviously trusts him".

"Yes, that's what worries me..." Udina rose and left the table, glancing back at Hackett before he left the small conference room. "I'll leave you to your fleet, Admiral."

* * *

Shepard shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not that it was really possible to be comfortable on a plastic bench. All the credits spent building Arcturus Station, and the waiting areas still look like civilian transport hubs. The heavily armed turian sitting across from her did nothing to put her at ease, and that was before considering his almost surgical glances.

Finally, the door to the waiting room opened to reveal her new commanding officer with two marines on his heels. Shepard bolted to her feet, giving Anderson a salute, unable to hide the small smile now clearly visible on her face.

Anderson dismissed her salute with a casual wave and a grin. "You're not going all formal on me again are you Shepard, I thought we finally stamped that one out after I dumped your ass in the N7 program."

Shepard let her smile widen into a mischievous grin, before replying "No Captain!" before relaxing to parade rest. She knew full well he didn't consider her a subordinate, but she had no plan of giving up their running joke."It's good to see you again David." She nodded to the two marines flanking the Captain before throwing a duffel bag over one shoulder. "Reporting for duty, Sir."

Anderson sighed at her insistent use of 'Sir', she wasn't going to let up. "Just get on board, Shepard. We're almost ready to leave the station, seems our pilot got rather attached to her on the flight over." He now looked past her to the unfortunately neglected turian. "Spectre Kryik, good to see you again. If you're ready to board, we should probably get under way."

Shepard had frozen on her path towards the dock at the word 'Spectre', and started watching the pair. "Hold on, I thought you said you were an adviser to the Turian Hierarchy?"

The turian looked at her with a look that made her feel as though he was memorizing everything about her and her actions. "That is correct, I am her to serve as an adviser. The Council has taken a great interest in this 'shake down', as you call it." With that he looked back to the Captain, "If you'll allow me, I'll meet you on board Captain." Anderson nodded in response "And please, Nihlus will do." And with that he strode through the door towards the docks.

Shepard shook her head in disbelief. Surely this wasn't the same turian that had been on the shuttle from Jump Zero. He hadn't even been armed, at least not visibly. Looking back at Anderson, she realized he was now walking back to his ship, and ran a couple of steps to fall into rank behind him, smiling deviously. "So a Spectre huh... guess I'd better be on my best behaviour"

Anderson couldn't help but let out a laugh, "A lot of good that'll do you." He'd missed her sense of humour. "It's been too long Shepard." He might have assembled the best crew in the Alliance, but now he knew he had the best marine in the Alliance on his heels, and a close friend.

* * *

 

**Chapter 1 - All According to Plan**

Shepard stepped out of the stairway onto the bridge, now wearing her N7 armour. One of the few possessions she owned, most of which were military issue, the armour included. Confidently walking the length of the CIC, she made her way towards the pilot as his voice came through the comm.

"Approach vector acquired"

Carefully dodging crew members seeing to the operation of the ship, she steps up behind the pilot's seat beside the turian already present. The ship continued to glide towards a giant structure before them, beginning to pulse with energy, a sight she always found humbling. All the advances Humanity had made, and there were things in the universe still so far beyond their scope.

"Jump in three... two... one..."

The ship rapidly accelerated well beyond the speed of light, hurling towards a relay almost twenty light-years away.

"All systems green, emission sinks engaged. Drift... just under fifteen hundred k."

Shepard was surprised when Nihlus spoke, but remained stoic, simply observing the galaxy flying past. "Fifteen hundred is good, your Captain will be pleased." With that, he turned and headed off towards the comm room.

Once Nihlus was out of earshot Joker spoke up again, "I hate that guy."

The marine seated in the co-pilot's seat glanced over at him. "Nihlus gave you a compliment, so... you hate him."

"Remember to zip up your jumpsuit coming out of the bathroom, that's good, and more than some of us can manage Kaidan." Kaidan couldn't help but look down at this comment, while Joker just continued with his speech "I just jumped us half way across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pin head, so that's incredible. Besides Spectres are trouble, I don't like having him about. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid, the Council helped fund this project, and it's a joint design between the Alliance and Turian Hierarchy. You can't blame them for wanting to see where their money and effort's gone."

"Yeah, says the guy that couldn't remember if he zipped up his jump suit."

Shepard chose this moment to end the verbal duel. "I knew the Alliance would regret hiring children, so much for presentable officers." She smiled slightly to herself as the two officers stiffened up, apparently having forgotten she was there. "Kaidan, you know full well that the Council has lower level advisers they would send on a shake down, something else is defiantly going on. Joker, if you haven't been told, then assume it's need to know, but I don't know any more than you do."

Joker opened his mouth to respond, but froze as the comm beeped, the Captain's voice coming from it. "Joker, update!"

"We've cleared the relay sir, eta to the Utopia system, five minutes."

"Good, find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want reports sent to the Alliance before we reach Eden Prime."

"Yes sir. Heads up, I think Nihlus is headed your way"

Anderson replied, clearly annoyed by Joker's remark, "He's already here. Shepard, please report to the comm room." before cutting the comm off.

The comm clicked off before she had a chance to reply. "Thank you very much Joker. You get to sit up here with your lovely new star ship, and I have to go get a briefing from the CO that you just pissed off." She couldn't help but smile as she said it, knowing Joker would take the bait.

"Hey, the Captain always sounds like that."

Kaidan quickly responded, "Only when he's talking to you," failing completely at any attempt to stop himself from smiling as he said it.

At that Shepard turned about, deciding she was going to rather enjoy working with this crew.

* * *

As she stepped into the comm room, the first thing she noticed was the lone turian in the room, and no Captain.

Nihlus turned around at hearing the door opening. "Ah, Shepard, I hoped you'd get here first. This world we're going to, Eden Prime, I'm quite curious. What do you know about it?"

Shepard stared caught off guard, "Err, well it's generally described as a paradise, although it's just a small farming colony."

"Yes, I hear it's become quite the symbol to your people. Proof that Humanity can not only colonize other worlds, but defend them as well."

Shepard frowned at this last comment. "If you're trying to say something, then just say it. Don't dance around the point with me."

"I think it's time we told Shepard what's really going on."

Shepard jumped in surprise, hearing the Captain behind her. "Sir!" she saluted out of surprise more than believing she needed to. "Err, what's going on?"

To Shepard's surprise, Anderson glanced at Nihlus waiting for him to respond. "This mission if far more than a simple shakedown cruise."

"With all due respect, that was hardly difficult to figure out. A Council Spectre wouldn't be required for anything so simple. Not to mention shadowing me on the transport to Arcturus."

"I was curious if you'd notice, most humans seem to struggle to tell the difference between turians."

"Right, and how does that explain what's actually going on?"

Anderson stepped up to the console, and pulled up a series of images taken on Eden Prime. "During an expansion to the colony, they have uncovered a prothean beacon. They have a science team examining it, but they don't have the facilities to deal with something this big. We're under orders to transport it to the Citadel."

"Well, I guess that explains the need for secrecy and Nihlus being here. If this turns out to be anything like the archive on Mars, everyone will want to get hold of it." She turned to look Nihlus directly in the eyes, "An extra gun certainly wouldn't hurt, but it doesn't explain why you were on that shuttle though."

Flaring his mandibles in what she could only assume was a grin, Nihlus looked over at the Captain, waiting for him to reply.

"He's evaluating you Shepard."

Shepard just looked back to him confused, "Evaluating me for what, sir?"

"The Spectres. We're an elite group Shepard, it's rare to find an individual with the right skill," the turian answered.

Shepard looked at Nihlus speechless for a second, before finding her voice."Sir? I take it this is good for the Alliance?"

Anderson nodded before replying. "The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. They want to make more of an impact in the galaxy, and this is a significant step."

"Well, I guess I should-"

"Captain!" Joker's voice interrupted her through the comm, a sense of urgency in his voice. "Transmission from Eden Prime, you're going to want to hear this!".

"Put it through Joker!"

All three of them turned to look at the screen as the image flicked on replacing the model of the beacon. Guns were firing in every direction while soldiers tried to find cover and identify their attackers. One soldier ran towards the soldier sending the transmission shouted "Get down" while pushing them to the ground. As the camera turned up it appeared as though a Black hand was reaching down towards the colony a few clicks in the distance. The soldiers all fell silent as they saw it before the transmission ended.

Jokers voice came over the comm again. "Cuts out after that sir, no transmissions at all. The whole colony just goes dead."

"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight point five."

The blank screen was replaced by the transmission rewinding to pause at a still image of the hand reaching towards the colony.

"Nihlus, I assume you want to join the ground team?" The turian nodded in response, his eyes not leaving the Monitor in front of it. "Good, meet us in the cargo bay in fifteen minutes. Commander, tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up. We have to retrieve that beacon."

* * *

The smell of smoke hung heavy in the ear, despite their distance from the main colony. Thick black clouds of it hung in the sky blocking out the sunlight. Gunfire sounded in the distance, completing the image of the now war zone.

Shepard looked at the marine on each side of her. "Well it still beats the air on the ship. Move out."

They didn't even make it to the foot of the small hill they had landed on before movement caught their eye. A balloon like creature floating away from the sound of gunfire. Partially out of curiosity Kaidan slowed to ask Jenkins, "What are those things, they just... float."

Since Jenkins was raised on Eden Prime, and was familiar with the native wildlife, he answered instantly. "Gas bags, sir. They're harmless, unless you puncture them. Best to keep your distance if you can."

Kaidan nodded in thanks, "Always something new I guess."

The group continued toward the dig site where the beacon was discovered. Despite the need to use cover, Jenkins was getting impatient and starting to get careless. The sight of his home burning around him was getting him agitated while he was unable to stop it. As the group neared a corner in their path Shepard indicated for him to move forward to cover them. He ran out past a rock outcrop, giving Shepard enough time to curse and start running towards him before Jenkins shields flared up.

Two turrets skimmed through a group of trees ahead, raining shots down on Jenkins, easily cutting through his shields. Shots continued hitting their mark, piercing his armour, causing blood to start seeping through the joints in his armour. Shepard tore out of cover, her assault rifle lighting up the instant she spotted her target. Kaidan quickly followed to find both drones already damaged, unable to target Shepard fast enough. One exploded in a shower of sparks as the second managed to force her into cover, until Kaidan overloaded it with his omni-tool.

Once they decided the area was secure, they both stepped towards Jenkins, Shepard's hud showing he had flat lined after collapsing onto his back. "I'm sorry Kaidan, there's nothing we can do for him now. Once we return to the Normandy, we'll see to it that he's recovered and given a burial." Fighting back her own emotions at losing a soldier, she tried to help Kaidan continue. "I need you to focus though, we have a mission to complete."

Kaidan nodded, "Yes Ma'am, just... such a waste. His first mission, and he had to watch his home burning."

"I know, we'll do everything we can to save it for him, but we need to move."

* * *

The two continued along their path, making their way from cover to cover, constantly expecting another ambush. Arriving at a tree line, at the top of another hill, they both took cover behind a pillar of rock piercing up through the ground. Shepard gestured for Kaidan to move forwards, while she covered him, before joining him behind another stone pillar. Taking a second to focus with their backs to the rock, the sound of a turret firing a hundred metres behind them, caused both to look around the edge of the pillar on reflex. A marine sprinted out of the tree line into a clearing at the base of the hill.

The marine dived to the ground as a volley of shots from the turrets passed right where her head would have been. Landing on her back she fired at the turrets trying frantically to manoeuvre themselves out of the firing line. A lucky strike on one caused it to veer into its companion, the two exploding with a loud band, catching the attention of two mechs... of some sort... against a rock face on the far side of the clearing. The marine scrabbled back to her feet diving over a low rocky outcrop for cover. She panicked in her now pinned position.

Shepard stowed her assault rifle, unable to close the distance to put the mechs in range fast enough. Pulling her sniper rifle over her opposite shoulder, she fell into a crouch taking aim at the nearest target, already rounding the cover to bear down on the marine. Unable to find a head on the mech, Shepard settled for a light protruding from what appeared to be a neck, deciding it to be a sensor cluster. With one shot the light flickered out and the synthetic body fell to the ground limp. Rapidly replacing her thermal clip, Shepard turned the rifle on the second and fired. The round hit in the torso before it was able to find cover, before it dropped too, the light following suit with the first.

Shepard and Kaidan stepped out from behind cover on the hill starting down towards the marine. Shepard smiled at her, pleased that she didn't seem to have any noteworthy injuries. "Report marine."

Like a bolt, the marine snapped to a salute. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the two twelve. Thanks for the assist Ma'am, thought I was down for the count."

"Not a problem, are you injured?"

"Nothing serious Ma'am, patched and ready to go."

Shepard nodded before Kaidan spoke up, "Where's the rest of your unit, I assume you aren't out here on your own?"

Ashley looked down at the floor, the colour slowly draining from her face. "We were patrolling the area around the dig site. We were ambushed in the first wave of the attack, I was the only one to survive. Just been trying to survive since."

Shepard stowed her sniper pulling her assault rifle back out, "Ok, we need to get moving. Williams, we could use your help, can you show us where the beacon is."

"Sure thing Ma'am," Williams nodded, gesturing towards the direction the mechs had pursued her from. "It's just down that path."

"Williams, enough of the Ma'am already, it's Shepard"

"Sure thing, but if you don't mind, I want some payback."

Shepard started off towards the path Ash had indicated, taking point as the other two fell in behind her. "So any idea who we're fighting here Williams, don't think I've seen a mech even close to that one before." She kicked the pile off metal and plastic as they passed it.

"I don't think they're mechs, Commander. I think they're geth."

The two Normandy crew members paused to look at Ash in stunned silence. Shepard was the first to find her voice, "Are you sure Ashley, geth..."

Kaidan spoke up before she could answer, clearly refusing to listen. "The Geth haven't been seen outside the Perseus Veil in over two centuries, why would they be here now?"

Ash responded, a fire in her eyes, but her voice controlled and calm. "I'd guess the beacon, Sir. All I know for certain is they're not mechs. Mechs can't fight like this, or have the tactical ability for the ambush my squad was caught in."

Shepard cut the conversation of by activating her comm, "Nihlus, it's Shepard, are you there?"

Static came over the channel before a response finally came. " _I hear you Commander, barely. It seems they're sending out a jamming signal, explains why the transmissions are all cut off._ "

"Attacking force are believed to be geth. Repeat, geth."

" _Understood, commander, Nihlus out._ " The line cut off, being replaced by static from whatever was jamming communications.

"Well at least he knows to watch his back. Let's get to it, any bets on how many we gun down before we reach the beacon?"

* * *

Ash stared at the ground in front of her, geth littering the surrounding area. "It was right here this morning. Haven't been back since setting out on patrol though, it's possible they took it to the spaceport, but I have no idea." Ash sighed, shaking her head, clearly frustrated at letting down her superior. "We could see if the scientists know anything... If they're still alive. They had a camp at the top of this hill."

Shepard looked up at the rock face "Ok, let's head up there." Shepard looked back at Williams. "I'm sure they're fine Ash. They had marines everywhere defending the beacon, they couldn't have caught everyone off guard."

"Yeah, guess the Geth wouldn't have been easier to catch off guard if they hadn't been guarding the path from the hill."

Kaidan looked at the pair in front of him, Ash giving into despair at her inability to protect the colony, Shepard struggling to reassure Ash she hadn't failed. "We should get moving, sounds like the fighting has stopped."

"Guess they'll probably be pulling out soon, and we need that beacon."

The group set off up the hill, maintaining a fast pace, despite the wear clearly visible in the party.

Shepard's helmet beeped, as a comm channel opened to her. " _Shepard._ "

She tapped her helmet to answer the incoming comm, "I hear you Nihlus, the beacon wasn't at the dig site, we're moving to check out the camp."

" _I've found a small spaceport, I'm going to check it out._ "

"Understood, one of the colony marines thinks they might have transported the beacon there at some point today. We'll meet you there unless the scientists can suggest anything else."

" _Understood, Nihlus out._ "

The party rounded the last corner on the track, the camp covered in the tattered remains of burning prefab. "Well the marines definitely put up one hell of a fight." Shepard looked around scanning the destruction in front of her. "Those two prefabs seem to be intact, we could have survivors, or a potential ambush."

Ash gasped behind her, causing Shepard to raise her rifle scanning the area. "What is it?"

"Up there!" Ash gestured towards a cluster of three metre tall metal spikes, a body impaled on each, twitching. "In God's name... Are they still alive?!"

As if on cue, six spikes began retracting, lowering the bodies with a screech of metal on metal. As the bodies reached the ground, sparks erupted from the hole in their chests as they raised themselves to face to ]the] three soldiers.

"I think they're alive, are they hostile?" Kaidan's voice wavering slightly.

The creatures were covered in electronics, fused into their flesh. Their jaws opened unnaturally wide before letting out a scream turning to stare at the group with glowing blue eyes. The colour drained from Ash's face as the six creatures charged at the three of them. "I vote hostile!"

Ash and Shepard lit their assault rifles up, mowing them down as they charged. Kaidan threw them into each other like rag dolls. As the last one fell to the ground, sparks flying from the ole in its chest, Kaidan exhaled sharply, "What the hell are those things?"

"They're wearing alliance armour," Ash kicked a husk that had fallen by her feet onto it's back, "Or they use to be. I think they were some of the Alliance marines assigned to the science team. What did those spikes do to them?"

Shepard looked around at the bodies, "They seem like husks of themselves. The Geth must have impaled them, transformed them. We should check the camp in case there are any more of them, Williams, secure the perimeter. Kaidan, with me."

The group split up, Shepard and Kaidan moving towards the prefabs the scientists had used. The pair fell into cover on either side of the door on the first. Shepard counted down from three on her right hand before hitting the door release and clearing the room. "Nothing but a bunch of lab tech. Move onto the next." The two followed the same pattern falling in beside the door on the last intact prefab, the door control glaring red at them. "Think you can hack that Kaidan?"

"Civilian encryption... It'll just take a second."

"Ash, can you give us some cover here, we have a locked door."

"Aye ma'am" Ash moved to position herself behind a pile of metal from the destroyed prefab. She pulled her sniper our aiming at the door.

At that moment the door beeped open, retracting out of the doorway followed by a scream from inside, "Don't shoot!"

Shepard leaned towards the door, lowering her rifle towards the ground. "It's okay, we're with the Alliance. You're safe now."

An Alliance scientist stepped towards the door from within the small structure, "Thank you, I think we'll be okay now. I'm doctor Warren."

Ash approached the building from her cover. "What happened here, where are the other scientists and marines? And where is the beacon?"

"The other scientist and most of the marines took the beacon to the space port this morning. We were told it was being transported to a larger facility. We stayed behind to start packing up the site. A unit of marines stayed behind, they... gave their lives to save us."

"They'd be glad to know you made it out safe." Shepard said, trying to comfort the Doctor at the loss of life for her safety. "Is there anything else you can tell us about the attack?"

"Not really, It all happened so fast. We were just packing up equipment when... they just came from everywhere. We didn't have time to get a good look before the marines got us into here and locked the door. There was gunfire, screaming, it seemed to go on forever. Then it all went quiet."

The other scientist interrupted at this point. "Agents of the destroyers, bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction."

"I'm sorry about Manuel, he's always been a bit... unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."

"Is it madness to see the future, to see our own extinction? To see the destruction rushing towards us, understand there is no escape? No! I am the only sane one left!"

Shepard turned back to Dr. Warren, "I suggest you look after Manuel. See to it that he sees a doctor after this. Williams, can you take us to the spaceport?"

"Yes Ma'am."

The group headed out the prefab and off towards the spaceport when a single gunshot broke the eerie silence since their fight with the husks. Shepard looked back at the other two, "That's not a gunfight, pick up the pace people."


	2. Politics

What sounded like the boom of a giant horn could be heard as the group climbed a hill. As they looked up, the giant starship Shepard saw on the transmission back on the Normandy was rising effortlessly out of the atmosphere. Shepard called for the group at the peak, the spaceport visible before them. Using her sniper rifle, she scanned the visible area, relaying it to her team. "Looks like at least a dozen geth, and there's a dozen of those spikes to the east of the entrance. I can't see Nihlus, but if he's in there he's probably trying to stay hidden." Shepard looked over her left shoulder at Ash, "So Ash, feel like showing me how good a shot you are?"

Ash let a small smile show at the edges of her mouth. "Sounds like a plan, I'll try not to steal too many of your kills."

Shepard gave Ash a small laugh, "Haven't shown me you can hit anything yet." Turning her head to the other side, she crossed her arms as she turned to Kaidan. "Think you can keep half a dozen of those husk looking things busy so I can kill them before those geth find us?"

"Shouldn't be difficult Commander, they don't seem to have any defence against biotics. Should be able to create a kill zone."

Shepard started down the hill towards the spikes, crouched down to avoid detection, "Take your first shot when I open fire."

When Shepard and Kaidan neared on the spikes, they began to descend towards the ground, lowering more impaled bodies on them to the ground. Shepard pulled her assault rifle out, aiming at the closest, and opened fire. She fired continuously while Kaidan worked on forcing the husks into a group, and maintaining a distance. Ash could be heard firing her sniper rapidly at the Geth in the spaceport, presumably taking one out with each shot.

When the last husk dropped, Shepard's assault rifle whined as the heat sink overloaded. She moved to the freight entrance of the spaceport , the gate resting wide open with the lock shot open. She opened a comm link to Ash. "Get down here Ash, we've got you covered."

Ash sprinted down the gentle slope of the hill, while Shepard and Kaidan fired on anything that moved into a line of sight from their positions on either side of the gate. The group moved into the spaceport. Ash had been efficient at taking out the Geth, easily cutting them metallic forms down with her assault rifle as they passed between piles of containers. They rounded a corner find a body lying in a pool of blue blood... turian.

Kaidan spoke up as they neared the body, "That looks like Nihlus..."

Ash looked down at the body, "That turian you spoke to on the radio, how did you know him?"

"He's a Council Spectre, he was sent to help retrieve the beacon and evaluate me as a candidate." Shepard let out a rather depressed sounding sigh, "Guess that's gone to hell now. The Alliance will be pleased..."

"Shepard, this was an execution, he was shot in the back of the head." Alarm slipped into Kaidan's voice before his head jerked up at a noise from behind a container beside them. "There's someone behind there."

Shepard pulled out her pistol pointing over the top of the waist-high container, "Come out, we know you're there!"

"D-Don't shoot." A dock worker stepped out from behind the stack of crates, stopping behind the single one.

"What happened here?" Shepard looked back at Nihlus's body, "Do you know who shot him?"

"I-It was another t-turian" the worker stammered, "I-I think they knew each other. H-He called the other one S-Saren."

"Have you seen something come through here from the dig site? Prothean technology."

"Err, yeah, some big black thing... they took it over by the dock C. That way." Pointing towards the far end of the yard, he hung his head. "I've got to get out of here, this... they just killed everyone..."

"You should head back to the colony," Ash looked back over her shoulder towards the main residential areas. "Most of the soldiers and defence towers are focused around there, you should be safe, and hopefully there's still people... there."

The three continued to the far side of the site, while maintaining cover. When they arrived at the dock, they still hadn't encountered any Geth since finding Nihlus. Several containers were sitting with the doors ajar next to the ship berth. "Kaidan, check those containers, the beacon's got to be packed in one of them. Ash, help me with that container, we need some cover."

As Shepard and Ash dropped the second container to form a barricade for them to crouch behind, Kaidan shouted from within the second container. "We've got a fusion bomb Shepard, looks like it's at least 20 kilo tons... It'll wipe out the entire colony."

Gunfire starting hitting the containers just as Shepard moved to look into the container, "Crap, Kaidan, see what you can do with that bomb. We need to disarm that thing. Ash, where are my targets?"

Ash rose out of cover, firing a burst of shots at a container, "At least three behind there, a couple more two to the right."

A smug gin crossed Shepard's face. She threw a grenade out of cover, bouncing off the container Ashley had shot, falling down behind it. "Fire in the hole."

The grenade detonated, causing geth parts to fly from behind the stack of crates. A loud crack could be heard before the pile began collapsing, taking the surrounding containers with it. A tall pile fell onto the second container Ash had indicated, as geth chatter became audible.

Ash looked up from behind her cover and then back towards Kaidan, "How we doing in there?"

"Think I got it, there's not a lot here to prevent it being tampered with, like they didn't expect anyone to be here. Not surprising with the number of Geth we saw and the gunfire earlier." At the sound of a small electric discharge, a beep started coming from the container, panic flooded Kaidan's voice. "Not good! There's a remote trigger!"

Ash slumped against the container. "I guess running won't help..."

Shepard smiled over at Ash, "Probably not, rather wishing I had a drink on me right now though."

Kaidan ran out of the container holding a small metal cylinder. Shouting, he turned around and threw it back over the container and the ship berth beside them. "GET DOWN!" He dove into cover between Shepard and Ashley as it exploded in a small fireball, shrapnel showering down around them. "Got the detonator off, we should have the Alliance secure the bomb though, get an explosives expert out here to make sure there aren't any more surprises."

"Right, Kaidan, check that last container, make sure it is the beacon. Ash, check the area, make sure we don't have any more Geth sneaking around." Kaidan and Ash walked off in opposite directions, while Shepard tapped the side of her helmet opening a comm channel to the Normandy. "Shepard to Normandy, requesting pick up. Ship Berth 3 at the colony spaceport. We've got a disarmed fusion bomb."

"Roger that Shepard, Normandy inbound. ETA, three minutes. Just don't go blowing that thing up when we get there." Joker laughed over the comm, but Shepard's attention was focused on the last container, as Kaidan was slowly dragged into it by an unseen force. She ran between him and the beacon, using the doors either side of her to force Kaidan backwards before it seized her. She was lifted into the air, turning to face into the container, coming to face a clearly alien object, bathed in green light. Her vision disappeared as she lost consciousness, but continued to hang in the air, twitching.

* * *

Ash heard a soft thump, and turned back to look to see as Kaidan landed outside the container. "Lieutenant!" She ran over to check what happened, finding Shepard hanging in the air. Kaidan forced himself to his feet and tried to run forwards to help Shepard. Ashley restrained him, "It's too dangerous Lieutenant. We have no idea what it would do to you."

A bright flash came from the beacon, throwing Shepard back, she landed on Alenko and Williams. Kaidan sat there stunned, looking between a now destroyed prothean beacon, and his unconscious Commander, twitching, as the Normandy became visible in the sky. Ash looked down at the unconscious Commander, before using Shepard's Omni-tool to hail the Normandy. "This is Gunnery Chief Williams of the two twelve. Commander Shepard is down. Repeat, Commander Shepard is down. Request medical team to meet us at the airlock."

Jokers voice came back, far more serious than he ever liked. "Confirmed Chief. ETA, 30 seconds."

* * *

Shepard opened her eyes and quickly squeezed them shut again, blinded by light in front of her. Shepard heard a male voice shouting beside her, "Doctor Chakwas, I think she's waking up" before she opened her eyes again. She blinked as the ceiling of the med bay came into focus.

The doctor stood up, and walked towards the bed Shepard was on. "You gave us quit the scare Commander. How do you feel?"

Shepard tried to sit up before falling back onto the bed, "One hell of a headache, who let me finish the bottle?"

Dr. Chakwas laughed before Kaidan replied. "The beacon did something to you. It pulled me towards it until you threw me aside. Then it pulled you up. It... exploded Commander, there's hardly anything left. I'm... sorry Commander."

"I ordered you to check the containers, if it hadn't been you, I'd have triggered... whatever that was, myself." Shepard tried to get up again, groaning as her head span. "Just get me some painkillers doctor, and I'll be out of your way."

The doctor frowned, "You've been unconscious for fifteen hours Commander. I also detected unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. You also had an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs normally associated with dreaming. Fortunately, there's nothing physically wrong."

"I was dreaming... or something." Shepard slid off the bed, still leaning on it for support. "Right, so I'll put coffee at the top of my to do list. If there's nothing else doctor."

The doctor placed two tablets, and a glass of water on a table next to the bed. "I'll add that to my report, could be-" The door to the med bay slid open. "Oh, Captain."

"How's our XO doing doctor?"

"All the readings are normal, I'd say she's going to be fine. I've cleared her for light duty."

"Good, I need to speak to the Commander in private."

Kaidan saluted, "Yes Captain."

"I'll just be in the mess hall if you need anything." The doctor followed the Lieutenant out of the med bay.

"Things went pretty badly down their Commander, are you sure you're okay?"

Shepard sighed, slumping slightly against the bed. "I feel bad about Jenkins, he was put in a hell of a situation. The crew will take it hard..." Shepard shook her head, before placing a palm to it, looking at the floor. "What happened to the Chief, Captain, did we leave her on Eden Prime?"

"She's been reassigned to the Normandy, I thought her account might be able to help us with the Council... and our ambassador."

"She's a good soldier, she deserves it." Shepard stood up straighter, looking at the Captain, "So what did you ask to speak with me about Captain?"

"Things look bad Shepard. The beacon is destroyed, the colony on Eden Prime came incredibly close to destruction, and Nihlus is dead. To top it all off, there's a geth army attacking Human Colonies."

"We've got nothing to hide Captain, I did nothing wrong. Hopefully the Council can see that."

"I'm behind you Shepard, but this is bad. Saren, that other turian, he's a Spectre, one of the best. If he's working with the Geth, it means he's gone rouge. A rogue Spectre 's trouble. Saren's deadly, and he hates humans." Anderson sighed, exhaustion and stress clearly showing in his expression. "If he's allied himself with the Geth, we're in trouble. It must have something to do with the beacon. Kaidan told me what happened, do you have any idea why?"

"No, but... I had... some kind of vision. Synthetics... Geth maybe... slaughtering people. They were wiping out entire planets. It could have had something to do with the beacon"

"We'll have to report this to the Council Shepard."

"And tell them what? That I had a nightmare!"

"We don't know what information was on that beacon, but Saren took it. Whatever it was, Saren has it, and I know his reputation. He hates Humanity, believes we're a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war, he has the secrets from the beacon, and an army of Geth at his command. He won't stop until every last human is dead."

"We'll find a way to stop him Captain."

"As a Spectre, he's nearly untouchable, that's why we need to convince the Council." Anderson sighed, slumping against the opposite wall of the med bay, worry becoming apparent on his face. "We'll do what we can to expose him, but it won't be easy. Have Joker bring us into dock at the Citadel, I need to ensure the reports are forwarded to Ambassador Udina."

Shepard stepped out of the med bay, finding Ash loitering in the mess. Wanting to see how Ashley felt about her reassignment, Shepard decided to take her to the bridge. "Williams, how are you liking the Normandy?" she smiled.

"Well, I thought barracks were tight on colonies , a frigate certainly proves that wrong, but the crew's been friendly enough. I can't help but feel but feel guilty about Jenkins though, I might not be here if he'd... you know." Ash replied, slumping her shoulders.

Shepard gave Ash a gently pat on the arm, "Come on, we're headed to the bridge. We should be arriving soon, everyone tells me it's a sight to see." She didn't wait for a reply, turning towards a staircase to the CIC and starting to the cockpit.

The two stepped up behind Joker's seat, causing him to look back at them, "Hey Commander, just about to bring us into the citadel."

The pair gaped out the Normandy's windows, trying to take in every detail as they approached the giant station, dwarfing the mass relays. Joker glided the ship into a private alliance dock as Anderson walked up to the cockpit, followed by Kaidan. "Commander, Chief, we're expected by Ambassador Udina."

* * *

Udina met them with a considerable amount of disdain and scepticism about the whole report. He had however, managed to organise a meeting with the Citadel Council. The Council had also organised an investigation by Citadel Security into Saren's actions, to see if there was any evidence of him going rogue.

Anderson and Udina had gone ahead to the Council Chambers, planning how to approach the meeting, while the three marines slowly walked the short distance from the embassies to the Citadel Tower.

After entering the Council Chambers, following a very slow elevator ride, the group found two turian C-Sec officers arguing.

"-Spectre, everything he touches is classified. I need more time, can't you stall them?"

"Stall the Council, are you mad?"

"We're meant to do our job, uphold the law. How can we do that if they block every line of inquiry?"

"That doesn't change anything, Spectres answer only to the Council. Your Investigation is over, Garrus."

Garrus spotted the three marines that had entered the chambers, while the other officer left towards a C-Sec officer off the Chamber. "Commander Shepard, Garrus Vakarian. I'm the officer assigned to investigate your ambassador's charges against Saren. Unfortunately, every inquiry I make is blocked. They won't listen. Hopefully you can make the Council see reason."

Kaidan shrugged, "I don't see why they'd listen to us, we're effectively accusing their top agent of treason."

"That may be, but your ambassador has some political clout. He has a better chance than I do at least."

"Thanks for everything you did, hopefully it'll be enough." Shepard looked over the turian's shoulder seeing Captain Anderson waving them over. "We should go, looks like they're ready for us."

The four Alliance soldiers stepped up behind the Ambassador, already in discussion with the Council, each member apparently taking it in turns to dismiss all claims.

"The Geth attack on Eden Prime is a matter of concern, but there is nothing to suggest Saren was involved in anyway."

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."

"An eye witness saw Saren kill Nihlus in cold blood." Udina tried to hold ground, however even this was cast aside.

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatised dock worker is hardly compelling proof."

Saren was present for the hearing in the form of a large hologram projected towards the right of the councillors, only just feeling the need to defend himself, as the council had effectively dismissed all evidence. "Nihlus was a fellow spectre, and a friend."

Anger swept through Anderson, jabbing angrily towards Saren. "That just let you catch him off guard." He crossed his arms, trying to regain his composite "You claim a good friend died yesterday, but you hardly seem upset about it."

"Ah, Captain Anderson, you always seem to be involved when Humanity makes unsubstantiated charges." Saren lent back against some surface not visible in the hologram, his mandibles flaring smugly. "And this must be your protegee I've heard so much about. I must admit, your file really doesn't do you justice. Nihlus didn't believe you incompetent enough to cause the destruction of the beacon."

"You're the one that destroyed the beacon, you even planted a bomb because a Geth army just wasn't enough was it?! You did everything you could, if only you hadn't let 'one traumatised dock worker see you shoot him." Shepard's gaze shifted over to the Salarian Councillor. "Care to explain in what way his employment affects the reliability of his testimony. And how do you suppose, he just happened to know Saren's name."

Saren's jaw hung open for a second, his mandibles matching in a look of complete surprise, this human apparently having more bite than he had given her credit for. Struggling, he managed to resume his relaxed demeanour. "How typical for a human, always shifting the blame on others, that was Captain Anderson's speciality. It seems he taught you well."

Shepard crossed her arms, finding herself becoming increasingly annoyed with the towering hologram. Why could it possibly need to be any larger than life. "Typical, insults. Saren despises Humanity, that's why he attacked Eden Prime. I'm sure if he could, he'd kill every last one of us."

"Humanity needs to learn it's place" Saren's words were dripping with the true meaning of his words... Humanity should be ground into the dirt. "You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!"

"He has no right to say that, that's not his decision!" Udina shouted at the Council, outrage across his face.

The Asari Councillor turned to address Saren, maintaining a calm and composed posture, despite the increasingly tense situation forming before them. "Shepard's admittance into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting."

"This meeting has no purpose, they're wasting your time Councillor. And mine!"

"Saren is hiding behind his position as a Spectre." Shepard fought to stop herself from shouting at the Council "You need to open your eyes, and look at what's right in front of you."

The Salarian Councillor replied in an annoying calm tone. "What we need is evidence, so far you've shown us nothing."

Captain Anderson stepped forward, "There is still one matter we haven't discussed, Commander Shepard's vision." The desperation was obvious in his voice.

Shepard couldn't help but shake her head, she knew the Council would dismiss this easier than their eye witness. Saren, however, was the one to voice his dislike on the matter "Are we allowing dreams as evidence now? How am I meant to defend myself against this kind of testimony?"

"Agreed. This Council works on evidence and facts, not wild imaginings and speculation." The Turian Councillor had practically spat the last few words, clearly having made his decision.

"Do you have anything else to-" The Salarian Ambassador started, pausing when he noticed Shepard had turned her back on the Council and was walking away. "add, Ambassador."

Shepard stopped at the bottom of the stairs to the podium, out of sight from the meeting, only just noticing that the two marines had followed her. "Well... that went well..."

Shepard heard the Ambassador's raised voice from behind her on the stairs. "I should never have taken you into that meeting, Captain. You and Saren have too much history, it made them question our motives. As for the Commander, I told you she wasn't suitable for the Spectres, they'll never accept her now." He reached the bottom of the steps, facing the Commander, "What do you have to say for yourself? YOU DO NOT WALK OUT ON THE COUNCIL!"

Shepard crossed her arms, giving the Ambassador a glare, "And why not? They had already made their mind up, my walking out hardly changed that."

"What about your candidacy to the Spectres, what use is an agent with no respect for his superiors."

"I don't remember you asking me if I even wanted to be a Spectre." She couldn't help but raise her voice, anger seeping into her body language. "Actually, I don't remember anybody asking. This isn't just putting me up for a promotion, Ambassador."

Anderson interrupted, before the argument could escalate. "That's enough Commander, this won't get us anywhere. We need to stop Saren. As long as he's out there, his Geth army is a threat. Every world we control is in danger, even Earth isn't safe."

Shepard looked down, reining herself in until Kaidan spoke behind her, "What about that turian, the officer assigned to investigate Saren? He seemed determined he was onto something. We could track him down, see if he can help us."

"I... do have a contact that could help us," Udina reluctantly offered, clearly embarrassed at his lapse. "Harkin should be able to help us."

"Forget it, they suspended Harkin last month." Anderson shook his head before bringing his palm up to it, "Drinking on the job. He's a disgrace to Humanity, and a dead beat. I won't waste my time with him."

"You won't have to, I don't want to have the Council using your history with Saren against us. Shepard can handle this. I need to take care of some business after that disaster of a meeting. Anderson, meet me in my officer later." Udina walked off before giving anyone a chance to say another word.

Anderson sounded disgruntled, "He really can be an ass, even if he is normally right, you'll probably find Harkin in Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower wards."

"Right, I guess we should get moving, but I would appreciate an explanation of what happened between you and Saren when there's time."

"You'll have it Commander." Anderson looked over towards the elevator out of the tower, "I should go meet with Udina. Good luck."


	3. Proof

The three of them stepped out of the elevator they had taken into the wards, freezing open-mouthed at the sight before them. Shepard stepped up to the window in front of them, leaning on the ledge, not so much as blinking. The entirety of the Citadel was visible, the immense wards reaching out into the distance, two of them an immeasurable distance above them, while two more were wards seemingly hung off to the sides.

Kaidan stepped up beside her. "Big place" he said in awe.

Ash leant against the ledge on her opposite side, "That your professional opinion, Lieutenant?"

"He's right, this isn't a space station, it's a city..." Shepard sighed, "and one hell of a view."

"There must be millions here, it can't be possible to track everyone coming and going."

"This just makes Jump Zero look like... well... nothing." Ash shook her head in disbelief. "Nine thousand people... it just pales compared to this."

"Jump Zero is big, but this is a whole other scale. Just look at those ward arms, there must be millions of inhabitants on each. How do they stop that much mass from flying off into space?"

"They must represent more races than I thought" Shepard said, gaining some appreciation for the Council. "No wonder they're so cautious when a new species emerges."

"They probably just want to keep everything running, can you imagine getting this many cultures to cooperate?"

"Yeah, or maybe they just don't like humans." Ash commented bitterly.

"What's not to like, we've got oceans, beautiful women. According to the old vids, we've got everything they want," Shepard shrugged.

"When you put it that way, there's no reason they wouldn't like you." Kaidan paused, looking uncomfortable at his choice of words. "I mean us, humans."

"You don't take much shore leave, do you LT." Ash teased.

"All right Chief, laugh it up. Watch it Lieutenant, flattery will get you nowhere, I assure you."

"Err... Aye-Aye Ma'am." Kaidan lowered his head blushing. He'd found the Commander attractive since he'd met her just after departing Arcturus, but he'd never expected a slip like that.

"I'll walk drag ma'am." Ash laughed.

Shepard cleared her throat, "Right, Chora's Den."

* * *

Shepard stepped into the small club first, Kaidan and Ash close on her heels. The three paused just inside the door, while Ash spoke up. "Right, halfway across the galaxy, and walk into a club full of half-naked women." She sighed, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. "Harkin's a deadbeat, probably getting drunk. How hard can he be to find here..." She paused waiting for a response before looking round at Kaidan, finding him staring at an asari dancing on a platform in the centre of the club. "Seriously LT, just can't keep your eyes where you're meant to, can you?" She shook her head again before noticing Shepard staring at the same podium. "Shepard...  _really_..."

"What? Harkin, right. Kaidan, come on." Shepard walked towards the bar, ensuring people could see she was fully armed. She placed a credit chit on the surface and gestured a human bartender over. "I'm looking for a C-Sec officer named Harkin, I'm told he's a regular here."

The human pocketed the chit, before he pointed towards a dark corner at the far end of the club. Shepard stepped back, before weaving her way across a dance floor, taking the most direct route she could towards Harkin. She paused at an empty table, and gestured for Kaidan and Ash to wait there, before stepping up to a table wedged into the corner, a single balding human sat at the table. "Harkin?"

"Mmm mmm mmm, well aren't you a sight there sweetheart." Harkin smirked, leaning back in his seat for a better look. "Complete with marine uniform too, don't think my day could get any better."

Shepard shifted her weight to one hip, placing a hand on each, "And it won't be, I just want to know where a turian named Garrus Vakarian is."

"I assume you're one of Anderson's men after Saren, poor bastard never did let that one go. Take a seat, sweetheart. Have a drink. No point in rushing things."

Shepard crossed her arms, a frown beginning to replace her neutral expression. "I'm not here for games, just tell me what I want to know."

"Come on, why don't you sit your sweet little ass down and join me for a drink, I can make it worth your time."

Shepard sighed placing a hand on her head covering her eyes before she let it drop, glaring at Harkin. She raised her right foot before kicking it into the seat of Harkin's chair between his legs, forcing the chair into the wall behind him with a loud thump. Several patrons around them turning to look as Harkin grunted in pain.

"Unless you want that heel two inches higher, I suggest you just tell me what I want to know," Shepard threatened.

The colour began to slowly drain from his face, "Garrus was sniffing around some clinic on the other side of the ward, it's run by a Dr. Michel. Said something about Saren. Last I heard, he was going back there after the Council threw out the charges," he spluttered frantically.

Shepard picked Harkin's glass up off the table, downed it in one, and replaced it on the table. "Thanks for the drink." She turned and walked back to Ash and Kaidan, leaving Harkin straightening himself out, trying to regain his composure.

Ash was hiding behind a hand, trying to stifle a laugh, while Kaidan had his face buried in his hands. Shepard stood next to the table, looking down at the two of them with her arms crossed, "Something I'm missing, Ash?"

"Nothing Ma'am, the Lieutenant and me were just discussing his... preferences."

"Right... well we need to get a taxi across the ward. Sounds like there might be a lead on Saren. Let's try to keep things professional while we're chasing this lead, okay you two?"

Kaidan lifted his head out of his hands, his face scarlet with embarrassment, "Yes Ma'am."

Ash couldn't help a burst of laughter as she followed Shepard out of the club to a local taxi rank.

* * *

The three stepped out of the taxi onto a deserted street, a small clinic just in front of them. Kaidan looked along the length of the street, "Seems a little quiet for a clinic doesn't it?"

Ash pulled out her pistol. "Can't hurt to go in cautious. If there's evidence on Saren in there, he'd want to stop us from getting it by any means."

"Put the gun away Williams, but be on guard. Last thing we want to do is get anyone killed in a fire fight." Shepard walked up to the clinic, pressing the HI to open the door for it to flash red. "On second thought, take up position on each side, stay out of sight unless you hear gunfire. Could you get the door please Kaidan."

The door chimed as the HI turned green, before sliding open. Shepard stepped into the small clinic, taking a split second to reach for her pistol at the sight of a Doctor being held at gunpoint behind a partition through the clinic, two more lurking to the side. The thug holding the gun was shouting at the doctor, oblivious to a turian crouched below the partition, working his way around to behind the hostage and captor, a male human. The captor looked up as Shepard walked through the door, pulling the Doctor around to stand between him and Shepard as a living shield as Shepard's pistol raised to point at the pair. Garrus moved out from behind the partition, pistol in hand, and placed a single shot in the skull of the human from the side. As the human fell limp behind the Doctor, Shepard dove over her cover, pushing the Doctor down to the floor, her shields flaring as they both fell. The Doctor landed behind a bed, Shepard taking care not to land directly on top of her in her armour. Kaidan and Ash burst through the doorway, quickly eliminating the two remaining thugs.

Ash sighed as the gunfire stopped, "All clear, Commander."

Shepard looked at the Doctor, coughing on the ground next to her, "Are you hurt, Doctor?"

"No" she wheezed, "Just knocked the breath out of me. Thank you."

Shepard pushed herself up, using the bed next to her for support, looking at the turian. "What were you thinking, you could have hit the civilian."

"You're right, I just saw a shot and took it." he admitted, "I'm glad you're okay, Dr. Michel."

Shepard extended a hand towards Dr. Michel and helped her up to her feet. "Do you know who they were, Doctor?"

"Y-Yes... they were Fist's men." she shivered.

Garrus walked over to the doctor, "Doctor, please, what were they after? Why were they here?"

"They wanted to keep me quiet about the quarian that came to see me, she'd been shot. She was scared, running from someone. Fist I assume, since he just tried to keep me quiet. They didn't want me to tell Garrus about her."

Shepard blinked in surprise. "Quarian, as in the creators of the Geth? Did she say anything about Saren?! Or the Geth?"

"Yes, she said she had something to link the two. She wanted to know about the Shadow Broker, trade the information for a safe place to hide." She looked down at the floor, sorrow seemed to fill her face. "I... put her in contact with Fist, he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"He was, Fist works for Saren now, and the Broker isn't happy about it. He's hired a krogan mercenary to kill him, C-Sec's currently giving him a warning," Garrus explained.

Shepard crossed her arms and lent back on the bed behind her. "Sounds like a stupid mistake on Fist's part, Saren must have made on hell of an offer. Guess we know the information is legit." She looked back over to Kaidan and Ash on the other side of the room. "Looks like we're going back to Chora's Den."

"Commander, wait. I'm coming with you." Garrus growled "I failed to catch Saren once, I need to help you bring him down this time."

Shepard nodded, "Could certainly use another gun." The edges of her mouth slowly lifted into a sly smile. "Think you can shoot straight, turian?" Shepard turned back to the two marines, "Kaidan, stay with the doctor, meet us back at the Human Embassy later. Ash, with me."

Garrus looked shocked at Shepard's comment before following her out of the clinic laughing, "Not  _my_  aim I'm worried about. Still haven't met a human that can hit a stationary target." Garrus paused as they exited through the door, "We could see about getting that krogan to give us a hand."

Shepard paused and looked back at Garrus, "He's a krogan mercenary that's been hired to kill someone we need to talk to. I'm hoping that while he's with C-Sec, we can get to Fist and find out what we need to know."

Garrus frowned before he nodded slightly, "We should get moving then."

The three moved back to the taxi post Shepard and Ash had arrived at, leaving Kaidan to see to the Doctor's well-being.

* * *

Chora's Den looked deserted. The entrance had been sealed, no one was outside and sound of music coming from within was absent. The three took cover against the wall by the door, it's interface glowing red. Shepard looked past Ash along the wall at the door, "Anyone got any ideas how to get in?"

Garrus slipped past to the opposite side of the door and lit his omni tool up. "C-Sec, my clearance gets me access to almost everything that isn't a private residence."

"Okay. Garrus, you go right. Ash, go left. Just make sure to check your targets are hostile, we don't know what we'll find in there."

All three pulled out assault rifles and checked their clips before Shepard nodded for Garrus to open the door. Ash and Garrus pulled back as shots instantly began flying through the door. Garrus glanced round before pulling his head back again as his shields flared. "Doesn't look like any civilians, multiple targets at every angle."

Shepard pulled a grenade off her belt, "Go in firing after the explosion. You better be right about no civilians, Garrus."

Garrus pulled a still image up he had taken on his omni-tool. "Positive Shepard, everyone visible is armed. Any civilians must be in cover, probably behind the bar."

Shepard threw the grenades through the door and ducked back against the wall as it shook with the blast. Garrus and Ash practically leapt through, firing as they went on anyone left standing, followed by Shepard. They quickly tore through the hired guards, finding a bartender scrambling to pull some especially expensive bottles into cover.

The three continued through the bar towards a door in the back, that had been heavily guarded, bodies now lying across most of the floor around it. A Shotgun blast sounded behind them. "Looks like you missed a spot."

Shepard looked back towards the entrance in time to watch a body collapse over an overturned table, a large hole visible in their back. The krogan barked a laugh, "Shouldn't have turned his back to a doorway, and you should have checked your target was dead."

"Thanks for the assist, I assume you're here for Fist?"

"I'm getting paid a lot of money to kill him by the Shadow Broker, and I'm not about to let three squishy creatures like you stand in my way."

"We're here to talk with Fist. I'm sure you can tell by the mess, it's not going to be a friendly chat. Should be a lot easier walking into his office with four rather than one." Shepard held out a hand towards the Krogan.

"Hmm, I'd be an idiot to turn away a friendly gun. You have a deal, human." The krogan reached out giving Shepard's hand an incredibly firm shake. "I'm Wrex."

"Commander Shepard."

The krogan let a small, for a krogan, laugh escape his throat, "Shepard, heard a lot about you. Seems you certainly left an impression on the Council."

Shepard let a lopsided grin creep across her mouth, "Who likes politicians? Come on, we need to get to Fist, fast."

The group continued through a store-room behind the door, persuaded a pair of labourers to get a safer career, before forcing their way into a private office in the back of the club. After taking out several security turrets on the officer, they found Fist cowering behind his desk. Shepard pointed her pistol at Fist, "Come out slowly, or you'll be leaving this office in a bag.

Fist gulped, "Okay, okay, just don't shoot me." He crawled slowly out from under the desk, his eyes never leaving the barrel of Shepard's pistol.

Garrus stepped up beside Shepard, "Where. Is. The. Quarian!"

"I don't know, she's not here," Fist whimpered at them, "I don't know where she is. But I can tell you where she's going to be. She wanted me to arrange a meeting with the Shadow Broker."

"Impossible! He always works through agents, even I was hired through a third party." Wrex almost said it threateningly. Fist cowered back towards the desk.

"I know. I know, but she didn't. I said I'd set up a meeting. When she gets there, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

Shepard lowered her pistol, "You bastard, we need to get moving, where is the meeting?"

Fist relaxed as Shepard's pistol lowered towards the ground. "It's in a back alley round the corner, you should be able to get there in plenty of time if you go now."

Shepard turned towards the exit, "Let's go." She glanced back at Fist, "He's all yours Wrex!" She watched as the colour drained out of Fist's face, she turned away again just before a blast escaped Wrex's shotgun. "We need to save that quarian."

The four of them walked out of the club, the bartender cowering back down behind the bar as they passed through the main club. The four figures arrived at the alley a few minutes before the meeting, giving time for everyone to hide out of sight before the meeting, easier said than done for Wrex.

Just as Wrex's hiding place in a dumpster was beginning to get uncomfortable, a turian walked past him, his tattoos looking like a predator baring it's teeth. Two salarian mercenaries loitered by a pile of discarded boxes while the turian paused to lean against Wrex's cover. A few moments later a quarian walked in nervously from the opposite end of the alley, slowly approaching the turian. "Where's the Shadow Broker?"

"You have no idea who the Shadow Broker is, and you demand that I show him to you." The turian pushed off from the dumpster, approaching the quarian. "For all you know I'm the Shadow Broker."

The quarian flinched as the turian ran a hand along her arm before swatting it away, "No, deals off." She turned to leave as the turian grabbed her, the two mercenaries pulled out pistols starting to advance on them. As the quarian threw off the turian she threw a stun grenade at the two mercenaries and sprinted towards the end of the alley.

As the grenade detonated Wrex burst through the side of the dumpster, crushing the turian against the opposite side of the alley. The distinct crunch of bone echoed along the alley, before he slid limply to the ground. Ash and Shepard rose from behind the boxes by the dazed salarians, firing a shotgun blast each, knocking them clean off their feet. This left the light footsteps of the quarian running as the only sound in the alley.

Shepard stowed the shotgun on the base of her back, "You see Ash, if a Krogan can make a deadly ambusher, it's no wonder the geth can."

Ash couldn't help but let a small laugh out, "True, but now we have a krogan that smells like last month's fish."

Garrus passed over the end of the alley, unarmed, holding his hands out non threateningly to stop the quarian from running away, "Whoa, relax, it's okay. We aren't here to hurt you, we came to stop Saren from having you killed."

The quarian stopped, maintaining her distance from Garrus, "Those... Those were Saren's men? Keelah, what have I got myself into!"

Shepard slowly walked up behind the quarian, taking care to keep her distance, "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm trying to prove that Saren Arterius is guilty of treason. We were told that you had some information, and that Fist had ordered his men to kill you."

"Then it seems I can thank you properly for saving my life, but, can we please get somewhere safer?"

Garrus stepped aside at the mouth of the alley, "We should take her to the human embassy. If this evidence is as good as we hope, your ambassador will want to see it."

Shepard stepped up beside the quarian, "we should get going, miss..."

"Just call me Tali. Lead the way, Commander."

The group piled into two taxi's, Wrex taking up a pair of back seats, and flew up to the embassies on the presidium.

* * *

Kaidan was waiting for them in the embassies reception. "You taking in strays now Shepard?"

Wrex let out a low growl from his throat, causing Kaidan to fall backwards several steps, tripping over himself in his haste. Wrex looked over at the marine, "This is what passes for a human soldier, Shepard?"

Shepard laughed at the pair, "Come on, we need to see Udina. No scaring anyone while you're in there, Wrex." She continued walking up to Udina's embassy without pausing at the door.

"Shepard, what the hell are you playing at," Udina screamed. "Fire fights in the ward, you practically demolished Chora's Den and a shootout in a medical clinic! What's next, the presidium?! And what is that God awful smell?"

Wrex couldn't help but smile, "You try hiding in a dustbin and we'll see what you smell like," He took a deep breath, "might actually end up smelling better."

The look on Udina's face went from anger, to pure fury. "And who the hell are these people, Shepard?"

Shepard let her smug lopsided grin show as she patronizingly replied, "Sorry, I didn't get a chance to introduce them before you started ranting." She patted a hand on Wrex's shoulder, "This is a krogan bounty hunter that was after Fist, Wrex." She paused for a moment to watch the confidence drain out of Udina's face before she pointed towards Garrus, "That's Garrus Vakarian, the C-Sec officer,  _you_  asked us to find. And this is Tali." Shepard gently patted her shoulder, "She has evidence that will prove to the Council that Saren attacked Eden Prime, and is a traitor. Right, I'm sorry, you were complaining about how Wrex smelt."

"Don't get smart with me Shepard. What's this evidence that you have, Miss..."

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. I was on my pilgrimage when I heard rumours of geth outside the Veil. The Geth haven't been beyond the Veil in almost three hundred years, so, I had to investigate. After I found a lone platform, it was easy enough to disable it without destroying the memory core. I was able to recover some date from its audio banks."

Tali tapped at her omni-tool's HI until an audio file began to play.

" _Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit._ "

" _And one step closer to the return of the Reapers._ "

The group all stood in slightly stunned silence, until Shepard spoke, "That's definitely Saren's voice, I don't recognise the second voice though." Confusion spread across Shepard's face, "And what do they mean by,  _'Reapers'?_ "

"According to the Geth, they are a hyper advanced machine race that existed fifty thousand years ago." Tali looked down in embarrassment, knowing the absurdity of what she was saying. "At least... that's what the Geth believe."

"Seems a little far-fetched," Udina complained, "still, this gives us everything we need against Saren. I'll set a meeting up with the Council to present this. Shepard, I'll let you know when you can meet us at the Council Chambers, I trust you can show yourself out."

Shepard turned and walked out of the embassy after giving the ambassador a scowl.

* * *

The elevator up the Citadel Tower, once again, slowly ascended the structure at an excruciatingly slow pace. Despite the stunning view out over the presidium and along the wards, it was still an experience Shepard wished she hadn't had to repeat. Garrus had stayed at the C-Sec office to run interference on the investigations on the deaths in the alley, and Chora's Den. Wrex had reluctantly agreed not to go until he'd removed the smell from the dumpster, although Shepard thought it was the bathing he was reluctant about, not missing the meeting with the Council.

Shepard, Ash, Kaidan and Tali all breathed a sigh of relief as the door finally opened into the Council Chambers. As they ascended the final flight of steps to the podium, they could hear Tali's recording playing.

'-step closer to the return of the Reapers.'

The recording ended just as Shepard stepped up behind Anderson, standing on the rather exposed platform before the Council.

"You wanted proof, there it is!" Udina shouted smugly. He was clearly enjoying proving the Council wrong, even if he hadn't done a lot to aid in getting to this point.

The Turian Councillor shook his head in defeat, "This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his status as a Spectre, and every effort will be made to bring him to justice."

"I recognize that other voice, the one speaking with Saren." The Asari Councillor interjected, "I... believe it is Matriarch Benezia, although I cannot possibly imagine why she would be allied with him."

Shepard stepped past Anderson to come level with Udina on the platform, "Who is she?"

"Matriarchs are powerful Asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people. Matriarch Benezia is one of the most influential. She is a powerful biotic, and has a great many followers. She would be a powerful ally to Saren."

"I'm more interested in these Reapers. What do you know about them?"

Tali surprised everyone by answering, despite appearing incredibly nervous about standing before the Council. "Only what I was able to extract from the geth memory core. They believe they were responsible for wiping out the Protheans. Then they vanished from the galaxy, but the Geth are working to bring them back. They appear to believe the Reapers are gods, or at least the pinnacle of artificial life, and that Saren is the prophet for their return."

"We believe that's why Saren is after the conduit, and why he attacked Eden Prime for the beacon." Anderson finished.

"Do we even know what this conduit is?" The Salarian Councillor sounded mostly curious, but there was a definite hint of fear in his voice.

"Saren's after it, and believes it can bring back a race that wiped out the Protheans. No matter what it is, he needs to be stopped." Shepard stated.

The Turian Councillor remained unconvinced however, "Listen to what you're saying. Saren wants to bring back machines that killed all life in the galaxy fifty thousand years ago. How could he possible believe it to be possible? Why would these machines conquer the galaxy, wiping out the protheans in the process, only to disappear, leaving no trace of their existence?" The ambassador began to sound increasingly frightened as he continued, realising the possible implications if they did truly exist.

Shepard stepped past Udina to the main podium, "I tried to warn you about Saren, and you refused to see the truth. Don't make the same mistake again, just because you claim there isn't any evidence."

"This is different, you proved Saren was behind the attack, and that he is using the Geth to find the conduit, but we don't really know why." The calm tone of the Asari Councillor's voice almost sounded patronizing. "We only have what the Geth believe, which is likely fabrications Saren uses to maintain his control over them."

"These Reapers are probably just a myth Commander. A lie obscuring Saren's true motive, and a means to control the Geth." The Salarian Councillor's voice had returned to its composed self at this decision.

"Why do I even bother?" Shepard muttered before looking up at the Council, fire visible in her eyes. "Saren needs to be stopped!"

"Saren is a rogue agent, on the run for his life. Without the resources of a Spectre, he cannot hope to hide forever." The Turian Councillor sounded indifferent as he said it.

Udina was outraged. "That's not good enough. You know he'd hiding in the traverse. Send your fleet i-"

Shepard raised a hand to stop the Ambassador, causing him to splutter in fury while she spoke over him. "Send me. You won't send a fleet in, risking a war with the terminus. Sending one ship, that already prevented Saren from destroying a colony, will not start a war. Everyone wins."

The Asari Councillor looked between her colleagues, "The Commander's right, there is a way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies." The two other counsellors gave her a reluctant nod, accompanied by disgust on the face of the turian, before she continued. "Commander Shepard."

Somehow, the already quiet room seemed to become completely silent as Shepard stood at the speaker's podium. Diplomats around the chambers began gathering on balconies to see exactly what the silence was for. The Councillors each straightened their posture, clearing their throats, preparing for a speech they had each memorised, if rarely performed.

"It is the decision of this Council, that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defence. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first Human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you, and your entire species."

Shepard felt herself growing increasingly self-conscious as the Councillors continued, wishing she had worn her helmet to hide her face. She did however maintain composure as they finished, "I am honoured Councillors."

"We're sending you into the traverse after Saren. He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to eliminate him."

"I'll find him."

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned." The Asari Councillor announced, before the three Council members turned and left their podiums.

Udina held a hand to his jaw thinking, "We've got a lot to do Shepard, you're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies."

Anderson stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "The Council will also have granted you access to prototype technology. C-Sec's requisitions department should be able to help you out with improving your equipment."

"Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help to set all of this up. Shepard, I'll contact you when we have everything sorted." Udina barked.

Ash shrugged as the Ambassador walked out of earshot, "You'd think he'd be a bit more grateful. You did just get him a Human Spectre."

"Yeah, and I cut him off mid sentence in front of the Council." Shepard Shrugged, "Besides, I haven't done a lot yet, apart from getting myself a promotion." Her lopsided grin making an appearance as she smiled at the squad.


	4. Fire and Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that has seen "Paragon Lost", I'm ignoring their depiction of the Mako interior for this story and replacing it with my own, since I want an excuse not to send everyone on every mission.

Liara looked up shocked as she heard an explosion above her. If anyone was entering the almost deserted dig site by force, she knew she didn't want to be around for them to find her. It was probably only looters, looking to find something worth selling, but it could be a batarian slave grab. She ducked into one of the shelters containing the equipment the previous dig team had left, providing her a clear view of the walkway to the entrance as what appeared to be a small army walked through. She sat back against a crate, beginning to panic, this had to be a slave grab to need so many. As she looked frantically around the small camp for somewhere to hide, she looked at the prothean ruin in front of her. The structure had been built as a refuge around the time the protheans had disappeared, surely it could keep her safe against a few slavers.

She jumped again at the noise of the elevator beginning a descent towards the camp. The ruin was less than a hundred meters away, she could make it if she ran. As the elevator made a loud clank moving between section of the track, she ran out from her hiding place, throwing a barrier up around her, in case anyone tried shooting at her.

As she reached the opening at the exposed base of the ruin, Liara thought she saw the large shape of a Krogan landing to the side. She didn't think Krogan took slaves, or worked with batarians, but continued running frantically into the structure. She stopped once she reached a small control console within the entrance and began frantically trying to turn on the barriers. A Krogan walked across the entrance, brushing dirt off his armour from his landing. He stopped at the entrance and turned to face the doctor, a menacing look in his eyes. "Surrender Doctor, Saren wants to speak with you."

_Saren? Isn't he a Spectre? Why would he want to speak with me?_

The Krogan's look did nothing to calm Liara down, as she found the option she wanted on the console and selected it. The Krogan saw her hand move away and charged forwards, lowering his head, as a blue barrier formed across the entrance, stopping the Krogan dead, as he was forced back.

Liara let out a small squeak of shock as the shield flared, before sighing in relief, feeling at least remotely safe from this clear aggressor. She let out a sharp gasp, closing her eyes tightly, when she felt something lift her up, holding her in the centre of the entrance to the ruins a meter off the ground. As she stopped, she opened her eyes again, seeing the inside of a blue sphere in front of her. Her arms had been held out to her sides , while her legs hung below her. She hung her head at the realisation that she was never going to be able to get out of there alive. "Goddess... save me..."

* * *

While Ash and Kaidan had every reason to believe that their assignment would be Shepard, the rest of the group had no such reason to continue to follow her. None of them however had opted to leave. Wrex had decided that a rogue Spectre would be a great fight. He only took his leave of the group for the time being, to confirm the Shadow Broker's payment. Garrus believed that the same the rogue spectre put on his entire race, mixed with his growing frustration for the rules on how to work at C-Sec, was enough reason for him to take leave and follow Shepard. Tali believed that helping to fight Saren would offer the best way to show she was willing to give of herself to help others, and would offer the opportunity to continue to study the Geth for her pilgrimage.

It had taken an entire day for Udina to contact Shepard. They had spent the time wandering around the markets in one of the Wards, being hounded by a fan of Shepard's that had insisted on an autograph and photo. After meeting back up with Garrus, they helped a C-Sec investigation to close down a group selling illegal weapons on the Citadel. Shepard had also been able to supply a reporter with information on Fist for their report. While getting lunch at a small café on the presidium, Shepard also intervened in an argument between an Alliance representative, in charge of public relations, and the husband of a woman in Ash's unit on Eden Prime. The Alliance had held the body to study the effects of geth weapons. At Ash and Shepard's outrage, the representative had agreed to have the body released to Mr Bhatia, to enable him to bury his wife.

Udina's timing proved as annoying as his personality, when he finally contacted Shepard, the marines were all enjoying coffee with Garrus and Tali in another Café, when he ordered them to report to the Normandy's docking bay. The five of them arrived to be met by Udina and Anderson at the airlock, after messaging Wrex to meet them there.

Udina turned to greet them as they approached, "I've got big news for you Shepard. Captain Anderson is giving you command of the Normandy. The ship is yours now."

"She's one of the fastest in the galaxy, and the stealth system makes her perfect for a Spectre. You even know the crew." The captain's voice was filled with regret. "Just... treat her well Commander."

Shepard was speechless, just standing there stunned, until Ash gave her a gently nudge in the back. "I-I will captain... She's a fine ship."

"I know you will Commander."

"Do we have any leads on Saren, any more geth attacks?" Shepard asked, looking between the two.

"Saren's gone, don't even try to find him. We need to find out more about the conduit, and where it is. We need to beat him to it." Anderson stated.

"We haven't had reports of any more attacks by the Geth, but we do have a lead on Matriarch Benezia. She has a daughter, an archaeologist, currently at a dig site being sponsored by the University of Armali. We don't know that she's involved, but it might be sensible to try to find her, she researches the protheans exclusively. Unfortunately, they have no means of communication, it wasn't deemed necessary for the dig. They don't even have extranet access." Udina pulled out an OSD, "The University provided us with the location of the dig site."

"Guess we know where to start then."

"You're a Spectre, Shepard, you don't answer to us anymore." Anderson reminded her.

"But, Shepard, your actions do reflect on humanity as a whole, try and remember that the next time you shoot your way through a situation. You make a mess, and I get hit with the political fallout."

Shepard crossed her arms and glared at the Ambassador, "Your job's politics, mine is to stop Saren. How about you just let me get on with it, Udina."

His face grew angry again at her response, a look that seemed to be becoming rather common for him. "Just remember Shepard, you were a human long before you became a Spectre," and he walked off without waiting for a response.

Shepard looked back at Anderson, "So what's this really about, David?" her voice full of concern. You'd never give up your command, he's pushing you aside!"

"You need your own ship, Shepard. A Spectre can't answer to anyone." He replied, his voice containing a hint of sorrow.

"That may be, but you still got forced out!"

"I have to admit, this isn't how I saw my career coming to an end. I've never wanted to become a paper pusher. I'm meant to captain a ship, not a desk. But, you're the one that can stop Saren, not me. If that means I need to step aside, I'll do what I have to."

"I'll... make the most of it, Sir. So, what is it that I keep hearing about between you and Saren?"

"We've been pushing for a Spectre for a long time, Shepard. I was once where you were with Nihlus. Twenty years ago they sent Saren and me on a mission. We had information on a rogue scientist trying to develop AI technology. They had funding from several batarian groups. We couldn't let them continue. The Alliance had done the legwork, but the Council wanted a Spectre involved. As a compromise, I was assigned to work with Saren." Anderson looked down, his voice pained. "We'd traced the scientist to a refinery he was hiding in on Camala. The plan was to get in and out quickly and quietly, taking the scientist alive, but... It was a blood bath. We'd split up to cover more ground. I was closing on the scientist when there was a massive explosion. Officially it was ruled an accident, but I know Saren caused it to draw off guards. He killed almost everyone in that refinery, just to get to his target. He didn't even care about the pollution that covered the colony, thick toxic clouds. It was mission accomplished to him, and I took the blame for the casualties. I was ruled out my Spectre candidacy and set humanity's plans back twenty years."

"We already know Saren needs to be stopped. This is just one more thing he needs to pay for. Until then, we have to catch him first."

"Good luck, Commander" Anderson said as he saluted her.

She smiled back warmly as she returned the salute. "Thank you, Captain." before he turned and left the dock. "Right, let's get on board, and what is taking Wrex so long!"

* * *

Therum was a young planet, still covered with long strings of active volcanoes, with liquid rock and metal at the surface in places. The dig site was located at one, making a drop into the immediate area difficult, if not impossible. A sighting of a geth ship on the sensors was enough for Shepard to elect to drop in the Normandy's scout vehicle, the Mako, and drive to the dig site, meaning she needed to leave an empty seat to recover the Doctor If necessary.

Shepard sat in the driver's seat, while Ash sat to her right in the gunner's seat controlling the turret mounted on the off-road vehicle. Kaidan and Garrus sat in seats behind them for transporting troops, with the only empty seat in the vehicle between them.

Ash looked over at the Commander, "You do know how to do a landing in this thing... right?"

Shepard looked back over at Ash, feigning outrage. "I'm an N7, combat driving is in the training program."

Ash looked to the back at Kaidan, "Is it just me, or was that not a yes?"

Shepard didn't give the group any more time for banter, and hit a button on her HI to contact Joker. "We're all good to go here, tell me you're almost ready to drop us off, please..."

" _Twenty seconds out Commander, you'll have a hundred meter drop to ground level, with a gentle slope below us."_

Shepard began etching the Mako towards the ramp at the front of the Normandy's cargo bay.

Joker pulled the Normandy to a stationary position above a small hill and opened the cargo bay door.  _"You're good to go Commander, happy landings."_

Shepard shot the Mako forward off the ramp, putting them into a free-fall towards the ground. Ash, Kaidan and Garrus gripped the front of their safety harnesses, while Shepard cheered, activating the Mako's thrusters at the last second to land them roughly, driving down the last of the slope, pulling up to a stop at the bottom with a jerk.

Ash looked back at Kaidan again, both of them looking slightly paler as Kaidan answered her previous question. "That defiantly wasn't a yes."

Shepard sighed, shaking her head slightly, unable to stop smiling as she drove the Mako off towards the dig site. After travelling through several tunnels constructed by Alliance miners from the colony, the geth drop ship flew overhead. It paused over the dig site, before flying into the upper atmosphere. "Joker, we have a sighting on the drop ship flying overhead, do you think the Normandy can take it out?"

Joker replied, sounding quite excited, "Affirmative _Commander, been itching to get this baby into a fire fight."_

"Just keep my ship in one piece Flight Lieutenant. Shepard out." She turned off the comm and looked at the squad in the Mako, "So, who feels like shooting some Geth?"

* * *

The Mako pulled up at the base of a steep cliff, a narrow ledge offered the only way up. "Remind me to ask Pressly about his navigation skills when we get back. We're on foot from here out, dig site is at the top of that cliff."

The group climbed out of the Mako, working their way up the cliff in single file. The humans all worked their way up with their back to the rock face, while Garrus had to face the wall to maintain his balance. The ledge ended two meters below the top of the cliff, forcing the team to climb up without knowing what was waiting. The Commander pulled herself up, rolling over the edge to find herself behind a cluster of storage containers. She leant back over the edge offering an arm to help Kaidan, Garrus and finally Ash over the edge and into cover, before setting herself back with them.

Shepard and Garrus leaned past their cover, coming face to face with what appeared to be a large quadrupedal Geth, charging a large cannon in its eye piece. "Duck!" Shepard screamed, as the two of them slammed back into cover, knocking into Kaidan and Ash. An energy blast hit behind them, filling the air with what felt like static electricity. Shepard and Garrus leant around the sides of their cover and began firing rapidly at geth soldiers that had begun moving towards their position, quickly thinning out their numbers as Kaidan overloaded the shields of multiple units at a time. Ash was aiming through a small gap between two crates, keeping the larger geth occupied.

As the last foot soldier fell, several shots hit the group from above. Ash screamed as a shot knocked out her shield, and a second one pierced her right shoulder. Garrus and Shepard began firing up towards an overhanging structure, with several Geth crawling on like geckos, firing at them using a laser built into their eyepiece like the quadruped still firing at them from behind the crates. Kaidan began treating Ash with medi-gel for the gunshot wound.

As the last geth fell onto the ground in front of them, Shepard looked across to Ash and Kaidan, "She going to be okay?"

Kaidan looked over his shoulder at Shepard, his hands covered in blood. "She's stopped bleeding, but I think it hit an artery. We should get her back to the Normandy."

Shepard slammed a new thermal clip into her assault rifle. "Okay, we take out that quadruped, then we get Joker to bringing the ship in. Kaidan, try and overload it's shields, Garrus, just keep shooting it," Another blast hit the containers behind them causing Shepard to duck. "And whoever destroys that eye, gets a drink on me."

Garrus pulled his sniper rifle out, dropping his assault rifle to the ground. "Might as well find a bar right now, Shepard," his mandibles flaring in glee as he moved across to the gap Ash had been firing through.

The group began firing continuously at the large Geth, while Kaidan continued to throw electrical charges trying to overload the shields. As Shepard emptied a clip at it, Kaidan hit it with another overload, shorting out the shields. The head looked about, panicked, while charging another shot, until Garrus's rifle fired. The shot punched a large hole through the glowing eyepiece. Electricity sparked around the head, until the charge detonated, blowing apart the neck as the body slumped to the ground in a twisted mess of spindly legs.

Garrus looked back at Shepard with a toothy grin on his face, "Surely that's worth more than just one drink..."

"Don't push it Space Chicken." Shepard smiled opening a comm link to the Normandy. "Joker, we need an immediate evac for Ash."

" _Yes Commander... ETA, 2 minutes. Just finished with the drop ship, it's made an emergency landing into the side of a mountain."_

"Be quick Joker" She looked back at the group, "Kaidan, stay here with Ash, make sure she gets on board safely. Garrus, we need to get down there."

Kaidan looked after the Commander as she and Garrus rose to their feet to walk off, "Aye-aye Commander."

Shepard and Garrus stepped up to a large metal door sealing the dig site... apart from the large hole that had been blown through the middle of it. Shepard tapped at the HI control of the door. "All seems operational, why wouldn't the Geth just hack their way in?"

"Umm, no idea, perhaps... nope, no idea. Let's just get moving."

The pair descended down the shaft towards the archaeologists camp. At the end of the tunnel, a walkway came out of the rock leading towards an elevator, and an ancient looking structure with a blue wall of light glowing within an opening. The pair got into the car, riding it to the base of the ruin where the camp was visible a short distance away with the cavern, passing more of the large opening in the alien structure every few meters, each with its own blue shield barring entry.

As they stood in the elevator waiting to reach the bottom, Garrus looked back to Shepard, "okay, I give up, what's 'Space Chicken'?"

Shepard let out a laugh, "Chicken is a flightless bird native to earth reared for food... you're from space."

Garrus let out a small noise of approval, "Just because I can take down a giant Geth in one shot, you resort to name calling."

The elevator pulled to a stop at the base of the alien structure, another blue wall shimmering just in front of them. A muffled voice could be heard from behind it, "Help, please, can anyone hear me?"

Shepard stepped in front of the covered opening, an asari looking back at her, looking completely exhausted. "Doctor T'Soni?"

"Y-yes... you're human, what are you doing here?"

"We were looking for you actually. Are you okay, what happened?"

"Erm, there was a loud explosion. I thought it was a slave grab, so I ran in here. I knew the barrier curtain would keep them out. Then this Krogan landed, and I panicked... I must have hit something by mistake because it trapped me. Then the Geth showed up, can you believe that, Geth!"

"Yeah, we saw some on the way down. So how do we get you out, and where did the Krogan go?"

"You need to get to this console to turn of the defences, they can't be deactivated from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in though, the Krogan and Geth have been trying for days."

"I'm sure we'll come up with something." She looked back towards the small camp set up on the cavern floor below them, "we'll go see what we can do about the Geth and that Krogan, just don't... err... go anywhere..."

Liara didn't even notice as the two walked off towards the camp, barely fending off exhaustion due to her uncomfortable restraints.

Shepard and Garrus moved quickly towards a small cluster of buildings that had been constructed to house the archaeology teams. As they worked their way past the mining laser that had been used to burrow into the cavern around the ruin, a small squad of Geth ambushed them. They were quickly torn apart as Garrus overloading their shields, leaving them open to fire from Shepard's assault rifle. The camp proved remarkably barren, offering nothing that might be able to let them past the barrier.

Shepard sat down against one of the tents looking back towards the ruin, "How can archaeologists not have anything to actually get into a ruin?"

"It's fifty thousand years old, I'm amazed it's working at all. It's not like they had to shoot their way in." Shepard jumped up in a rush to Garrus's surprise, "Where are you going?"

"To get a  _really_  big gun!" she replied grinning.

He caught back up with her as she was powering up the mining laser. "Don't go for subtle do you?"

She looked back at him, the grin still plastered to her face. "Well you're free to make another suggestion." Shepard tapped the fire button, causing the laser to tear through the rock below the alcove they had found Liara in, until the firing sequence ended a second later, "Woops, too late."

They quickly made their way through the newly bored tunnel, finding themselves standing in a ring-shaped room. The ceiling was visible above them at the level of the cavern's entrance from the surface.

Looking around for a way up, they found what appeared to be a ladder built into the sides of the room, running up to the surface. They quickly climbed up to where they had left the asari, her head slumped over as much as her restraints would allow her to.

Shepard walked over to the small console next to Liara, "just hang on in there, Doctor. I can't have you falling asleep on me now. We're about to get out of here."

Liara looked up startled, "What... Who... How did you..." She slumped her head forwards again, "That human, I thought you were only a hallucination... How did you get in here?" A weak smile spread across the asari's lips as she looked into Shepard's eyes, finally believing she might get out of there alive.

Shepard couldn't help but grin, "Used a really big gun, found it kicking around by that camp of yours. So how do I get you out of there?"

"If you activate that HI console, there should be a red button, unfortunately the text is all in prothean."

Shepard continued to grin as she walked up to the console, "Always love a good big red buttons."

Garrus looked over at her in curiosity, "What is it with humans and red buttons, you all seem to be obsessed with them?"

"Well, generally in human design, you don't press the red buttons. Usually used for detonators and that sort of thing. Just makes them rather..."

"Sorry, but I'm hanging in a big blue bubble, would you please let me out!" Liara pleaded.

Shepard pressed the button indicated, causing the blue bubble, and barrier, to fade, dropping Liara to the floor. She landed on her feet, wobbling for a second before she collapsed. Shepard put an arm around Liara's waist to pull her back to her feet as a tremor shook the floor beneath both of them. The two of them fell back to the ground as Liara lost her balance, while Garrus clung onto a wall for support.

Garrus looked back at Shepard, what she guessed was alarm visible on his face. "I think you've managed to cause the volcano that buried this ruin to erupt..."

Shepard pulled them both up to their feet, facing back into the ruin. "Right... well that's not good. We need a way out that's a little faster than that ladder, she's in no shape to climb it."

Liara placed a hand onto the console beside her, tapping several buttons causing a bridge to extend towards a platform in the middle of the room on top of what Shepard had assumed to be a wall running all the way up to the top of the ruin. "I believe that's an elevator in the middle of the room... at least... I think it's an elevator."

The group made their way to the elevator, just as another tremor shook them. "Okay, we need to get moving quickly." Shepard manoeuvred Liara up to the console in the centre of the platform, "Can you get this thing moving?" Liara nodded weakly and began working the console as Shepard tapped her helmet to open a comm to the Normandy, "Joker, status update!"

" _Well, apart from the volcano threatening to erupt from under us, we could use a new light bulb in the men's toilets. What's the ETA?!"_

"We'll just be a few minutes Joker, we've got the Doctor," Shepard stumbled as the platform lurched upwards, "and apparently, found a short cut to the surface."

" _Roger that Commander, Kaidan and Ash are back on-board in the med bay."_

"Good to hear Joker, Shepard out."

The elevator pulled to a halt at the top of the shaft, putting the group face to face with an angry looking Krogan and a squad of Geth. "Surrender, or don't. That would be more fun."

"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart, or are you planning on waiting for the eruption?"

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" The Krogan laughed, looking at Liara still being supported by Shepard. "Hand over the Doctor, and I'll consider letting you go."

Shepard looked at Liara as she let out a faint whimper, "I have a feeling she wants to stay with us, thanks."

"Not an option," The Krogan snarled pulling out a shotgun before barking an order to the Geth. "Kill them, spare the Doctor if you can! If not, doesn't matter." He shrugged casually.

The Krogan flinched as a Geth blew up beside him as Garrus overloaded it's power core, letting Shepard pull Liara behind a large pillar running to the high ceiling. She returned to Garrus's side, helping him dispatch the Geth quickly. As the last Geth collapsed in a pile of broken metal the pair looked around frantically for the Krogan that had managed to disappear from sight. They spotted Liara struggling to her feet and walking out from behind the pillar as the Krogan charged her from the opposite one. As he charged Liara threw a hand up, falling to the ground to defend herself as the Krogan sailed over her head, bathed in blue, hitting the side of the room with a loud crunch before landing dazed. Shepard walked up the Krogan with her shotgun out, pointing it at his eye socket, "Nice try." She pulled the trigger, shattering the bone plate in the Krogan's head. Leaving him dead on the floor, she turned back to find Liara unconscious on the floor, Garrus checking on her. Shepard walked over to the pair as a larger tremor shook the room, large fissures forming in the structure of the room.

"Okay, we need to go now Garrus" She shouted, as she pulled the unconscious doctor into her arms and started towards the exit.

Garrus fell into step beside her, the two of them leaving the large chamber as the pillars gave way, the roof collapsing throwing dust up around them. They sped up to a sprint, as much as Shepard could carrying a second person, as the cave and tunnel around them collapsed, steam coming of the rocks as they were heating up. They reached the surface as the cave entrance collapsed behind them, small rocks flying at them as they continued to the Normandy's waiting cargo bay, still sprinting. Garrus opened a comm to the cockpit as they reached the ramp. "We're on board, Joker. Go!" The Normandy pulled up, sealing the door as they climbed through the atmosphere. Shepard put Liara down on the cargo bay floor and called for a med-team as she collapsed on the floor against her, exhausted from running with her.

* * *

"The report's off to the Council, they'll probably be contacting us in a bit." There was little to actually be shared in the debriefing, with Ashley and Liara in the med bay, but Shepard felt getting the group into the habit of debriefing after missions would help keep everyone informed, and encourage squad cohesion, especially with Wrex.

"I still can't believe you caused a volcanic eruption, and you didn't even invite me." Wrex predictably grumbled.

"Yes, Wrex, at least you got to miss the second natural disaster Shepard was responsible for on that planet, her driving." Garrus teased, "I don't know how you didn't destroy the Mako with that alone."

"Guess that explains the need to melt it in an active volcano," Kaidan joked, "hide the evidence?"

Joker chose this moment to chip in,  _"She almost managed the same with the Normandy. I'm going to have to have the ground crew touching up the paint work once we get into dock."_

Shepard buried her face in her hands. She'd expected a bit of banter from the group, but they didn't seem to be letting up. "Okay, dismissed, everyone."

" _Oh, and I have the Council on the line, Commander."_

"Put them through Joker. Everyone, you're dismissed, go, get out of here."

"Ah, Commander Shepard," The Asari Councillor said as the Council's holograms formed, "we've received your report... Doctor T'Soni is on board the Normandy?"

"I assume you're taking the necessary precautions, Commander?"

"Doctor T'Soni was being attacked by the Geth, under the command of a Krogan actually. She barely made it out of there alive."

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter."

"Perhaps she doesn't know." The Salarian Councillor offered.

"Or you don't know her," the Turian Councillor spat. "We never expected she would commit treason."

"At least the mission was a success."

"Yes... except for the complete and utter destruction of a major prothean ruin, that was still under study. Was that really necessary Shepard?"

"Well if you come up with a better way to get past prothean... what did she call them... barrier curtains, let me know. We were lucky to get the Doctor out."

"Of course Commander, the mission must always take priority."

"Good luck Commander, we'll contact you if we get any information that may help." The Asari Councillor said before cutting the line.

"They can really annoy me sometimes." Shepard sighed, "Okay, I'm going down to the med bay to check up on our guest and marine. If you need me for anything I'll be down there," she said to Joker as she walked out the comm room.

As she walked in the med bay she walked over to Doctor Chakwas, "How're they doing then, doc?"

The Doctor looked over as Shepard spoke."They should be fine Commander. Chief Williams took some patching up, but she should be on her feet by tomorrow. Thankfully the medi-gel prevented too much blood loss. Doctor T'Soni didn't suffer any major injuries, just a few cuts. She was however dehydrated and exhausted, it seems that biotic attack you mentioned she used put her system into shock. I believe she must have been trapped in there for at least two days. For now I have her on an IV."


	5. Shore Leave

She felt herself gently returning to consciousness, aware of the a chill in the air around her. Then she remembered. She opened her eyes until she slammed them shut again, blinded by the light above her.  _Where am I?_  She rolled onto her side and opened them again, freezing as she saw a pair of green eyes looking at her. She relaxed instantly, feeling safe in their gaze.

Shepard looked up as she heard Liara stirring beside her. She had spent the night in the med bay with both Liara and Ashley, concerned for the injured marine and unable to tear herself away from their unconscious guest. She couldn't help but smile as she saw Liara open her blue eyes. "Good morning. How do you feel?"

Liara let out a small mewl before she replied, "I'm... I'm okay. Where am I?"

"You're on my ship, the Normandy. We're docked at the Citadel at the moment."

"I... thank you for rescuing me... erm, I'm afraid I can't recall your name?"

"I'm Commander Shepard," Shepard said as she stood, offering a hand to help Liara out of bed, "and we're getting you some breakfast. Doctor's orders."

Liara took Shepard's hand, letting her lead her out of the med bay to the mess hall. She paused, looking at the options on the food dispenser. "I've never eaten human food before..."

Shepard flicked over the menu options, "Well, we've got hot and cold options, what are you used to?"

"Erm, ration packs..."

"Right, something better than cardboard..." Shepard joked, flicking over the menu, tapping it a few times for a portion of bacon, eggs and toast, and a bowl of fruit salad.

Liara took the bowl of fruit rather intrigued by the variety of colours, some resembling Thessian foods, while some appeared completely foreign. As she picked up her fork, the bowl was pushed aside to be replaced by the cooked breakfast. Shepard smiled as the asari looked at her puzzled, "You collapsed from exhaustion after being stuck in a restraint system for several days. You've been on an IV, but you'll want to get your strength back. You're also a biotic, so I'm guessing you have a larger calorie intake than me." She added a large glass of water to Liara's meal before grabbing her own portion and joining her.

Liara put the fork down and looked at Shepard with an expression of curiosity, "I'm grateful for you saving me Commander, and not just from the geth, but... I'm puzzled why an Alliance ship and officer have taken any interest in saving a single asari archaeologist from Saren, who I believe is a turian Spectre. I don't even know why he wanted to capture me."

Shepard couldn't help but smile at Liara's bluntness. And her curiosity. "This isn't exactly an Alliance ship any more. Sure, I'm in the Alliance military, but I'm also a Spectre," Shepard said, smiling slightly as Liara's the look of curiosity was quickly replaced by shock. "Saren is no longer a Spectre, the Council revoked his status after he led a geth attack on a human colony for a prothean beacon that was discovered there." Shepard couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable at the look of excitement on the prothean expert's face. "Don't get too hopeful. After the beacon gave me some sort of vision, it was destroyed. We believe Saren is searching for something called the conduit, we're guessing it's related to the extinction of the protheans on some information we gained from the geth."

"I'm afraid I've never even heard of this... conduit before, information on the protheans is little and far between. Even less is available on their extinction, my true area of expertise." Liara looked down at the food in front of her and bravely took her first mouthful. Shepard smiled as Liara quickly ate a few more mouthfuls before looking back at her, "Sorry, where was I?"

"Your area of expertise."

"Yes, I've been studying the protheans for the last fifty years, trying to work out what happened to them." She paused at the look of shock on Shepard's face, "Erm... sorry, what have I done?"

"Nothing, it's just... fifty years, how old are you?"

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm only a hundred and six." She paused again, blushing, as the look of shock remained on Shepard's face, "What?"

"Only a hundred and six, is that all. I'm twenty nine, and you look younger than me."

"A century might seem like a long time to a short lived species like your own, but among asari I'm barely considered more than a child. It's actually the reason my research and theories haven't received the credit they deserve."

"Afraid I might have to put an end to theories on their extinction. "Shepard tapped the side of her head, "The beacon showed me what I believe is their extinction. Unfortunately, I can't make sense of most of it, but I do believe though that they were wiped out by a race of machines called the reapers."

"That... makes sense. It would explain why it seems like someone removed every trace they could of the protheans from the galaxy. I am amazed you survived the beacon however, they were designed to interact directly with prothean physiology. It would have driven a lesser mind to insanity, you must be incredibly strong willed, Commander."

Shepard gulped slightly at the insanity mention, she'd spent plenty of time with psychotherapists after Elysium. No one seemed to understand how she had kept her sanity after the slaughter she had witnessed, and inflicted, to safe the colonists.

Liara continued eagerly, missing the uncomfortable look on Shepard's face. "This may however offer an explanation to some of my other findings. I believe the protheans weren't the first race to span the galaxy, only to mysteriously disappear. This cycle started long before them. Each civilisation rises to greatness on the technology of those that came before them. Even the protheans greatest achievements, the mass relays, the Citadel, are based on the technology of those that came before. The lack of evidence, however, makes it impossible to prove, I cannot simply point to any piece of evidence. The protheans left remarkably little behind, and there is even less evidence on those that came before them. All I have is a feeling, based on half a century of dedicated research, but I know I am right. These reapers and that beacon may be all the proof I need, or they would be..."

"Do you have any idea why Saren would go after the conduit, or your mother for that matter?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea. I couldn't really pay much attention to my attackers after I was trapped in the ruin. As for my mother, I haven't seen her in many years." Liara put her cutlery down, clearly uncomfortable. "I have no idea why she would join Saren."

Shepard looked at her sympathetically, "Sorry, but I had to ask. If you'll excuse me, I should probably go back to check on Ash and get started on a few jobs we need to take care of today. I suggest you finish eating, and then return to the med bay to see the doctor." She got up from the table to place her empty plate into a compartment to be cleaned before turning back to Liara who was looking slightly disappointed as she went back to eating. "I'll see you later, Doctor."

Liara only managed to return a nod with a mouthful of bacon as the commander left, leaving her alone. She quickly finished the plate of food she had been left with before pulling the more colourful bowl of fruit back in front of her, looking slightly more familiar to what she ate back on Thessia. She quickly decided she didn't care for the highly acidic taste of an orange fruit in segments, but happily ate the rest before returning the plated and bowl to the same compartment the commander had, before heading back to the med bay.

As the door closed behind Liara, Doctor Chakwas looked up to greet her, "Ah, Doctor T'Soni, I trust you feel better after your breakfast this morning?"

"Yes, thank you Doctor. Shepard suggested that I come back to see you. I also wanted to thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious."

"Just doing my job, Doctor."

Liara carefully interrupted the Doctor as she paused, "Please, Liara is fine."

Doctor Chakwas smiled and nodded kindly before she continued, "You were hardly the more worrying case I had to deal with yesterday anyway." She looked towards the still sleeping Ashley, "She was shot while they were making their way to the dig site to find you, not that she'll ever complain about it. She's made a full recovery though, I'm amazed she's not already awake."

"I'm... sorry. I caused this, it hardly seems fair."

Chakwas could only smile back at her, "Hardly your fault dear. You didn't cause this, Saren did."

"Thank you," Liara smiled sweetly, just to find herself standing there unsure of what to do or where to go.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Liara?"

"I don't really know what I should be doing. I assume it would be best if I rested, but I'm... not fond of sleeper pods." Liara admitted, looking down at her feet sheepishly.

"Not to worry, we have fold out beds in case the med bay is ever full, and that supply cupboard," the Doctor gestured over her shoulder to a door, "is almost completely empty. I'm sure I can set you up with some room in there if you plan on staying for a while."

"If Shepard's chasing after a rumored prothean artifact, I should be able to help, and I would like to be able to repay her for my rescue."

"Okay, come on. I'll set you up, but you should talk to Shepard about staying as soon as you get the chance, but I'm sure she'll be happy for you to stay," the Doctor said as she led Liara back to the storage cupboard.

* * *

Shepard had gone straight to the Alliance's requisitions office on the Citadel after she had left the Normandy. After deciding that replacing something like the Mako would be a lot of paper work, she wanted to get it done as early in the day as she could. It had proven easy enough, although she could swear that the staff had found it hilarious that a Mako had been destroyed by means other than enemy gunfire. Apparently they were found to be almost indestructible. Unfortunately, the soonest a Mako could be sent to the Citadel for the Normandy was two days, so Shepard had decided to give the crew two days shore-leave.

On route back to the Normandy however, she was ambushed by Admiral Kahoku who had been trying to cut his way through red tape across the Alliance's offices on the Citadel, trying to find a squad of troops that had gone silent in the Artemis Tau cluster. Shepard had agreed to investigate, very interested in why the Alliance seemed to have been blocking Kahoku's investigation into what had happened.

Shepard's announcement of shore leave was met with a cheer from the crew. Despite the need to find Saren, she still didn't have any more leads to follow, and with the Council, Ambassador Udina, Captain Anderson, and a message she had sent to Admiral Hackett, she felt there was nothing she could do to help until someone got back to her. While a skeleton crew had remained on duty, the majority had promptly left to relax and get away from duty. Shepard was also pleased to find that Ash was up and about, even if she was only cleared for light duty, despite the fact she wasn't on duty at all.

Shepard spent the rest of the day shut in her quarters, filling out paperwork and handling the day to day management of the ship. She had largely been putting it off since being given command, but with a period of unexpected downtime left her with little in the way of an excuse. As promised, she went to check on Liara later in the evening. As she walked into the med bay, she was met with the sight of Ash and Liara standing by a door at the far end shouting at each other.

Liara seemed oblivious to Shepard's presence as she shouted "I am not my mother!" at Ash, before walking through the door and sealing it behind her.

Shepard walked up to Ash, "What exactly was that about, Chief?"

"Erm... well, she said she planned on staying on board the Normandy, and I simply said we can't trust so many aliens on-board an Alliance ship. I mean, Wrex, Garrus and Tali are helped us, but..." Ash paused as Shepard's frown was visibly growing more annoyed. "She's Benezia's daughter. She's a huge security risk."

"Okay, Chief, does your mother have security clearance for the Normandy?" Shepard asked, her voice far harsher than she intended.

"No, Commander."

"And have you sent her the schematics, security details, and other classified information about the Normandy, Chief?" Shepard began to rein her tone in.

"No Commander, but she's an alien, and the daughter of one of the-"

Shepard stopped the chief with a stern look, "We have no reason not to trust her," Shepard sighed slightly to calm herself again. "She has done nothing, she hasn't had any contact with Benezia, and I believe her."

"Well, none of them are human, Ma'am. I just don't think they should have complete access to the most advanced ship in the Alliance fleet."

"She was only built with the assistance of the turians, and the rest of the Council. Don't you trust the Council races?"

"Well, no. They seem noble, and have good enough intentions, but if their backs are against the wall, they won't stick their neck out for humanity. We have to look out for ourselves."

Shepard sighed, she hated dealing with this kind of opinion. "Just because we need to stand up for ourselves, it doesn't mean we need to turn away allies."

"I know, but they're not human. They will always consider their own species to be more important to them. It's just natural I guess." Ash responded uncomfortably, she was rapidly running out of arguments, and didn't think the Commander was the kind of person to let something go between her crew.

"Right, just lay it out for me Williams, what exactly has you believing this so solidly?"

"Well... my family's defended the Alliance since it was founded. The line goes back to my great grandmother, all picking up a rifle and swearing the oath of service. I guess we just think of the Alliance's interests as our own."

"That may be, but this is a multilateral mission, authorised by the Council, not the Alliance. You have to work with aliens, like it or not."

Ash saluted, "Yes Ma'am. You say jump, I ask how high. Tell me to kiss a turian, I ask which cheek."

Shepard couldn't help but to smile, "I'll give Garrus fair warning first. Dismissed Chief." Ash turned and walked out but Shepard couldn't help but add to it, "I think they prefer it on the lips," laughing as Ash's pace increased notably until she stopped at the door into the mess hall.

"Shepard, I'm organising a night out for the squad at Flux tomorrow night. You're invited of course, would you invite T'Soni? Not sure it would be appreciated from me right now."

"Sure thing Ash." Shepard turned to the supply cupboard Liara had gone into as Ash left and knocked on the door.

"Leave me alone!" Liara screamed from inside.

Shepard paused, not expecting as much fire in the young asari's voice before she responded, "Liara. It's Shepard."

Liara opened the door, tears were running down her face, her cheeks bright blue with embarrassment. "I'm sorry for shouting at you, Commander."

"It's fine Liara, I caught the end of what happened with Ash. I've spoken to her about it."

Liara's blush only deepened, "You didn't have to do that."

"A marine under my command was questioning my orders, and my team, and I assume, attacking you personally."

Liara looked down shyly, "Thank you, Commander."

"Now, I came here to find out what you plan on doing now that you've been released properly by the doctor. You're welcome to stay and join the team, and if that display against the krogan was anything to go by, you're more than welcome to. Or, you should be able to get a ship almost anywhere from the Citadel." Shepard couldn't help but sound less than thrilled at the last option.

Liara looked up at Shepard, those green eyes... She wanted to stay, but why? The beacon? She could hardly stay purely because of personal interest. Shepard had saved her... "If Saren is after me, I can't imagine anywhere safer than your ship Commander." She couldn't help but smile as she saw Shepard do the same.

"In that case, I was asked to give you an invitation. It seems my team is planning a night out tomorrow and I would like you to come along. We all would."

"I'd love to." Liara hadn't even thought about it, she'd barely even heard what Shepard said before she'd responded.

Shepard nodded to Liara and turned to leave, pausing right before the door. "I'd like you to receive some lessons from Gunnery Chief Williams on side-arms. I know there isn't a human that could rival your biotics, but it would be sensible."

Liara could only Shepard a very nervous smile. "That sounds like a sensible idea." She crashed on the small bed in the corner after Shepard left.  _Lessons with Williams, just what I need._

* * *

The next morning, Shepard was woken by her infernal console. She could swear she'd turned the alarm off last night. She stumbled out of bed, over to the console, finding a message waiting for her, presumably responsible for the alert. Apparently, Shepard had to meet the asari diplomat that had sent the message.

Shepard walked off the ship an hour later with Williams in tow. She'd realized while dressing that morning that she needed something to go out in that night, rather than military uniform. The two walked out of the military's private dock into the public docking bay, coming face to face with a crowd of reporters. A small hover cam zipped past her head and stopped to focus on her. Shepard sighed and buried her head in her hand as she was met by shouts of "Commander Shepard!" from everyone in the room. She sterned her expression before looking at the crowd. "I understand you'll have some questions you want to ask, but I only have time for a few. "

Shepard noted that the crow seemed to be almost entirely human as a one reporter raised a hand to ask a question, "Humanity has been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for twenty-six years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first human Spectre?"

Shepard moved into parade rest as she considered her answer, "Spectres represent the best of every species in the galaxy. To be asked to join them is an honour."

The next reporter barely waited for Shepard to finish speaking before he cut in. "Some have said your appointment is the Council throwing humanity a bone. Have you encountered any situations where they have asked to place their needs before the needs of earth?"

Shepard maintained her stoic composure, unwilling to bite. "The Council concerns itself with the needs of the whole galactic community, we've become a part of that community. Our needs are on their agenda, just like everyone else's."

"You really believe that don't you?" The reporter replied, seemingly stunned with Shepard's response.

A reporter Shepard recognized as being from the Alliance news network slid between two other reporters to the front, raising a hand. "You've been given command of an advanced human warship for your missions, is there anything you'd like to say about it?"

"Actually, the Normandy isn't entirely a human design, she was co-designed with turian engineers. She represent the best of what we can do working together. Her design incorporated many prototype and experimental technologies, all of which are classified I'm afraid."

"So the turians have knowledge of the Normandy's systems that's being kept from the Alliance public. Do you think it was appropriate to hand earth's most advanced warship over to the Council?" He replied, clearly thinking he'd found an angle to shine the worst on Shepard's appointment.

"I wasn't aware the Normandy had been handed over to anyone. I'm in command of the Normandy, and her crew is Alliance, even if my team includes many of the galactic races. Now if you'll excuse me, I should go."

An overexcited woman pushed her way to the front as Shepard turned to find a way past. "Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Commander, one more question. Rumour back home says you're chasing after a rogue Spectre named Saren, can you comment on that?"

"I'm afraid I cannot comment on what my current mission may or may not be. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to." Shepard turned and pushed her way through the crowd without giving them another chance to stop her.

Shepard walked into the presidium Café she had been told to go to, an asari sitting next to the entrance speaking to her as she entered. "Ah, Commander Shepard, I am Nassana Dantius. I see you got my message."

Shepard looked at the asari and crossed her arms, frowning at the asari's attempts to appear superior. "Yeah, I just thought I'd stop by to let you know that some people don't appreciate being ordered about like a dog. You said you need my help, I'll hear you out."

"Thank you, Commander." The diplomat replied without missing a beat. "My sister, Dahlia, serves on a cargo vessel out in the fringes of the traverse. Her ship was attacked by privateers, there were no reported survivors. Last week however, I received a message with her voice on it, and a ransom demand. The pirates killed the rest of the crew and captured her."

"Why didn't they kill her along with everyone else?"

"They must have figured out who she was, my family has considerable funds, Commander. We thought they would release her if we met their demands, but we haven't heard from them since. I was able to track the credits to find their location though, my position offers some capable friends."

Shepard felt uneasy, she'd never heard of a kidnap victim surviving the ransom payment. "I assume C-Sec can't help?"

"If I go to them, I'll be considered a security risk, I'll be forced out of the embassy."

"Right, so you want me to go rescue her?"

Nassana nodded, "Please, you're her only hope."

"I'll see what I can do." Shepard turned to look at Ash, finding she had disappeared from behind her. She eventually spotted her with a cup of coffee at the counter on the far side of the cafe and took a seat next to her, "Woken up yet?"

"Just don't kick me out of bed without coffee too often Skipper." Ash smiled, looking slightly more awake than she had when they lefts the Normandy.

"Well, I guess I thought the idea of shopping would get you moving," Shepard smiled. "Since I have you for a sec, I want you to give T'Soni some lessons on side arms. She wants to join the team, and we could certainly use the help of a prothean expert."

"Really, me?" Ash groaned as she took a large sip of coffee. "I would have thought I'd be the last person you'd want to teach her?"

"That's why you're my first choice," Jane replied as she gave the marine a gently slap on the back.

"Aye-aye Skipper," Ash said on cue, "let's hit the shops." She said draining her cup and leaft the counter.

As they reached one of the better known areas on the Citadel for it's retail shopping, Ash began to instantly regret her decision to help the commander find something for that night. She wasn't about to surrender to a challenge though. After the first dozen shops however, she was wearing down until they had found a pair of tight leather trousers that had caught the Commanders eye. Shepard had adamantly protested against anything involving a skirt. After finding the trousers however they had quickly found a jacket and top to go with it, and against Shepard's better judgement, a set of incredibly discrete underwear to avoid it showing. The pair had made their way back to the Normandy, this time however going through C-Sec's facilities to avoid the public space port, and the press.

* * *

Shepard looked over the hand railing next to her down towards the table the group had laid claim to earlier. Tali was deep in a drunken conversation with Garrus, while the marines seemed to have disappeared into the crowd. Wrex had accepted Ash's invitation, but since arriving at the club, he seemed determined to go through the Volus owner's supply of Ryncol. Liara, however, sat at the table in silence, her first drink sat untouched since her first sip, gently rubbing her gloved hands together. She sat up from the quasar machine she had gone to avoid Ash's attempts to get her drunk, abandoning her loss of fifty credits, and started back down to the table.

Shepard sat down next to Liara, causing the asari to jump in surprise, apparently lost in the contents of her glass. "Not to your tastes?"

Liara gently shook her head, before she had to shout her response "Williams insisted on buying me a drink, but I had no idea what to choose. I was just trying to be polite."

"Reminds me, I owe Garrus a drink." Shepard slid a credit chit to sit under one of Garrus's talons, "You should have seen what he did to a geth while we were going to get you." Shepard put a hand in Liara's, causing the asari to jump again, missing a rush of blue through her cheeks. "Come on, you obviously want to get out of here." Shepard gently pulled Liara to her feet and quickly wove her way out of the club with Liara in tow.

Liara sighed as the sound of the club faded behind them, "Why do they always make the music in those places so loud? It's almost like people want an excuse not to talk to each other."

Shepard smiled at the asari, "Some of the people in there don't want to." Shepard stopped as they passed a liquor store and dashed in, leaving Liara standing in the street waiting. She reappeared a few minutes later with a paper bag, offering her arm to Liara.

Liara eagerly put her arm around Shepard's as the two made their way back towards the Normandy. The docks appeared as busy as ever, despite the late hour, as the two boarded. Shepard lead her through the CIC, slowly becoming uncomfortable in the asari robe she had chosen to wear for the evening, her awareness of how tight it fitted her increasing. Fortunately, Shepard led her back to the captain's quarters.

Shepard gestured for Liara to sit down at a small table just inside the door, while she rummaged through a cupboard on the wall opposite, pulling out a pair of glasses. She set them down on the table as Liara took a seat, before sitting herself down opposite.

Liara looked down uncomfortably, feeling bad, thinking the Commander had left purely for her. "I wanted to thank you for letting me stay on-board Commander, I know your crew doesn't trust me. Chief Williams has made that quite clear. But... I am not Benezia, I want to do everything I can to help you catch Saren."

"Liara, I trust you, and we're still on shore leave, relax." Shepard pulled a bottle out of the bag, filling both glasses up and passing one to Liara. "I thought you might prefer something a little more familiar. And don't feel you need to be polite."

Liara smiled shyly at the comment, gladly accepting the glass from Shepard before taking a large sip from the glass, "How did you find out about elassa, Commander."

"I once shared a glass with my former C.O. when I graduated the N7 program." Shepard emptied her glass in one mouthful, "Have to admit, it made quite the impression," she said as she refilled her glass. "Oh, and lose the Commander, and Shepard. We're off duty, Jane is fine. Just don't use it around the crew."

Liara took another sip from her glass as Shepard spoke, "Thank you Coman-Jane." She blushed slightly at her slip, looking around the room to try and hide her embarrassment. She paused to look at a picture framed on the Commander's desk, and what appeared to be a portrait of the Commander, although the hair appeared to be browner than Shepard's fiery red. "Is the image in that frame of you?"

Shepard looked over at the only decoration she had placed in the quarters, "It's an image of a painting I made of my mother, right after I signed on with the Alliance. I guess she'd been the only constant in my life, and I wanted something of her. The original is in her quarters aboard the Kilimanjaro. Sorry to say I haven't seen her for years now." Shepard leant back in her chair, smiling, "So come on, your turn, tell me a little about you."

"To be honest, there isn't much to tell. I spend most of my time on remote dig sites, unearthing mundane items in long–forgotten prothean ruins."

"You must enjoy your work to be willing to isolate yourself so much to pursue it."

Liara smiled as she finished her glass, "I guess seeking out history's lost secrets hold a large appeal for me. You were touched by actual working prothean technology, you... fascinate me."

Shepard felt her heart skip a beat as Liara finished her sentence before kicking herself. She was a grown woman, in the military with a mission. Was she seriously finding herself attracted to a young asari she'd literally pulled out of a hole in the ground? "Fascinating huh, do I need to make sure I keep my door looked in case I get dissected in the middle of the night?" She couldn't help but make a little fun of the poor asari.

"What?!" Liara sounded distraught at the idea, "No! I only meant you would be an interesting specimen for an in depth study... No, that's even worse."

"Relax Liara, I was only teasing."

"Oh, by the goddess... how could I..." Liara shook her head before burying it in her hands to hide as he face turned several shades darker. "Now you see why I prefer data disks and dig sites, I always seem to manage to imply the wrong idea around other people, or worse."

Shepard let a small laugh escape at the Doctor's embarrassment, "The elassa can't be helping."

Liara looked up showing how much brighter the blue on her face had gotten, "Trying to get me drunk, Commander?" She buried her face again as she realized she'd just said that.  _Can one glass really be affecting me so much?_

Shepard couldn't help but smile at Liara, "The idea hadn't even crossed my mind, Doctor." she replied teasingly. She silently kicked herself again.  _How much have I drunk? Several at flux, plus two large glasses of elassa, safe to say I'm past tipsy. How strong is this stuff exactly?_


	6. Killing Time

The Mako's landing was only slightly smoother than Shepard's last attempt, but Wrex at least didn't complain. The same couldn't however be said for Kaidan, manning the turret, and Garrus, who had complained repeatedly that he wasn't the one mannign the turret. Shepard had once again had to leave space for another person in the Mako, making it far easier to refuse Ash's request to go, since she still wasn't cleared for heavy-duty.

Shepard was surprised as the Mako pulled up outside a large building, from the looks of it, made out of a converted freighter. So far they hadn't been attacked by anyone on approach to the building. Presumably, they felt confident enough that the system was far enough away from anything significant to be attacked. The team filed out the the vehicle towards an access hatch in a rear cargo pod before bursting through, weapons firing instantly. Wrex led as the group worked their way through the cargo container, a biotic barrier glowing around him to shield himself, and the others behind him, while Kaidan threw pirates hiding in cover out into the open for the other three to quickly gun down. They progressed through the ship until only the bridge remained, having not found any sign of the asari they were looking for, or any prisoners at all. Wrex forced his way through the door, not waiting for Kaidan to hack it, before being thrown back instantly as a biotic field ripped threw his barrier. Shepard instinctively fire her shotgun at a single asari in the room, armed and armoured.

* * *

Liara gently stirred in her sleep, rubbing her face into the pillow below her head. She inhaled deeply as she opened her eyes, a small smile spreading across her lips as a subtle sweet smell filled her senses. She blinked rapidly as the lights slowly rose around her until she slammed her eyes shut. Still partially asleep, she opened her eyes again, getting a quick look around before once again closing them, unable to work out exactly where she was. She thought back, realising she couldn't remember how she had got there, but she did remember a bottle. She remembered leaving Flux with Shepard, and that bottle. They had sat down in Shepard's quarters, that's where she must be, and had a drink together. Liara opened her eyes again, managing to keep them open, and spotted an empty bottle and pair of glasses on a table on the other side of the room. She looked back over her shoulder to check if Shepard was on the bed as well, although she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved to find it empty. Liara slid her legs over the side of the bed, straightening her robe out that had ridden up when she'd curled up to sleep. She rose to her feet, wavering slightly, putting a hand to hear head as it began throbbing, and walked out of the quarters back to sickbay.

Doctor Chakwas looked up as the door opened, for what was probably the sixth time that morning. "Ah, Liara, how are you today."

Liara looked up to the Doctor as she wobbled into the medbay, deciding that the Doctor was looking at her far too happily for how she felt. Trying to greet her, Liara only managed a quiet moan before sitting herself on a bed.

"Hangover?" the Doctor asked, smiling slightly as Liara nodded gently, retrieving a paper cup and glass of water to set them down next to Liara. "These should take the edge off. Think I saw all of Shepard's ground team this morning, except for Wrex."

Liara quickly took the pills before looking back to the Doctor, "Thank you." before she gently rose to her feet again and headed towards the cupboard she had taken over for a change of cloths.

Liara emerged from the women's showers half an hour later, feeling far better, as Shepard stormed out of the elevator from the cargo bay shouting, "That god damn asari owes me one hell of an explanation!" followed by Kaidan and Garrus as she disappeared up towards the CIC. Liara froze for a second, before chasing after Shepard, panicking she had done something the night before she couldn't remember.

Shepard led the group into the comm room, shouting "Joker, get us to the Colombia System" over the ship's comm as she walked towards the comm room's terminal. "And get me that bloody asari diplomat on the line."

Liara ran into the room just before the door closed. "Shard, whatever I did, I'm sorry." she shouted as she came to a halt behind the group.

Liara turned a brighter shade of blue as the group turned to face her with a look of confusion on their faces. "What... what are you on about Liara?" Shepard managed to ask before she looked at the two guys flanking her. "Could you give us a minute."

Kaidan and Garrus slowly filed out, muttering between themselves, leaving Liara standing in front of Shepard, silently staring at the floor between them. Shepard just looked at her, still appearing confused. "What are you apologizing for?"

Liara looked up at Shepard, "I heard you shouting, you were angry. I thought I must have done something wrong last night." she said quietly, managing to turn a shade brighter.

"Liara, I wasn't shouting about you. I enjoyed last night, and you're an adorable drunk by the way." Shepard sighed, smiling as she watched Liara turn brighter still at the last comment. "It was Nas-"

"Commander, I have the Diplomat on the line." Joker interrupted over the comm.

"She can wait Joker." Shepard quickly replied before smiling at Liara, "This should answer everything if you want to hang around." Liara nodded as Shepard stepped up the console, gently pulling Liara along with her. "Put her through."

"Ah, Commander Shepard, I don't appreciate being called only to be put on hold." the image of Nassana drawled.

"And I don't appreciate being tricked into killing your sister." Shepard retorted, she felt a small shiver run threw Liara at the aggression in her voice. "Let me guess, she got in the way of your own political ambitions. You were afraid she'd be discovered, or worse, arrested, and you'd have to deal with the consequences?"

"If anyone had found out, I would have been deemed a security risk. They would have placed me on administrative leave. Not something that's going to do my career any good, is it."

"That doesn't change that you lied to me!" Shepard shouted, her anger resurfacing after Liara had managed to calm her down.

"I do apologise Shepard, we have trust issues in my family." the asari continued to drawl, trying to sound high and mighty.

Liara was the one to to respond, despite not having said a word yet, with an incredibly sarcastic "clearly..."

Nassana's hologram looked at Liara with a look of pure fury. "How dare you talk to me like that, you little bi-"

"Joker," Shepard Shouted cutting Nassana off, "get me the C-Sec executor."

Nassana froze with a look of pure horror. "Let's not be hasty Shepard, she was a pirate, and a slaver. You killed a violent criminal." She relaxed slightly as Shepard seemed to cool slightly. "I have contacts within the Armali Council, I can have you added their preferred buyers list."

Shepard sterned her gaze, "I'm keeping a copy of some information I found on your sister's body. If I ever see you again..."

"I... I understand." Nassana squeaked, her composure having completely left her.

"Joker, lose this channel." Shepard sighed as she turned back to Liara, "Now, you barged in here apologising for something. What exactly did you think you had to apologise for." Shepard asked, her grin clearly visible as Liara returned to a brighter shade of blue.

"Well... I woke up in your quarters, and there was that empty bottle on the table..."

"We emptied that? No wonder my head was spinning this morning..." Shepard groaned.

Liara couldn't help but smile at the slightly pained look on Shepard's face, "And then I see you storming out of the elevator, screaming about an asari. I guess I assumed I'd done something wrong... Where did you sleep last night anyway?"

"I ended up in a sleeper pod, always prefer a bed though," Shepard gave Liara a cheeky grin before sighing sarcastically, "Shame someone stole it."

Liara returned Shepard's cheeky smile, before turning and walking out the Comm room, "I should meet Chief Williams, she's giving me a shooting lesson this afternoon."

* * *

Shepard walked off the elevator into the cargo bay as she sealed the last clasp on her chestplate. She walked over to the Mako, sat to the side, an leaned against one of the rear tires. Ash and Liara appeared to be in the middle of Liara's shooting lesson, seemingly unaware of unaware of anyone else around. She watched as Liara fired several shots off towards a target set up towards the cargo doors, surprised as each shot landed on the marked torso, smiling as she heard Ash praise Liara while offering constructive feedback. Apparently her talk had sunk in about working with aliens.

Shepard stepped up to the two as Liara lowered the pistol, "Suit up you two, we've got a lead on those missing marines."

"Sounds good Shepard, I'll be ready in five." Ash responded.

Liara looked at Shepard slightly puzzled, "Suit up, into what? I don't have a hard suit." she asked.

Shepard tapped the interface on a locker next to her, Liara's name visible just above the door, showing a white and blue plated suit for the biotic. "Had some time to sort that one out while we waited for the Mako. Just ask if you need a hand with it." Shepard said, before climbing into the nearby vehicle.

* * *

Shepard's landing proved to be her best yet, although she had a feeling the team would never stop joking about her driving. As they had entered orbit of the planet, joker had picked up a distress beacon in a valley between two planets. Suspecting this was related to the missing marines, they had set down at the top of the valley, unwilling to risk landing in the middle of an ambush on the beacon, since a squad of marines had already gone missing.

Half way down the slope, the Grizzly used by the Marines became visible next to a transmitter they could only assume was the source of the signal. Shepard brought the Mako to a stop facing the wreck in front of them, the side of the vehicle torn open and melted in parts.

"I guess the odds of any of the marines being alive after an attack like that must be incredibly slim." Liara said, stepping up from the passenger seats to stand between Shepard and Ashley.

Ash looked over at the other two, "What could have done that, it doesn't look even close to weapons fire?"

Liara gulped as she realized the cause of the destruction. "It must have been a thresher maw. They're native to Tuchanka, but rapidly spread to other suitable planets once ships started landing there. They can actually" Liara paused as the Mako lifted several meters into the air before falling back to the ground.

Shepard hit several controls and slammed a foot down on a pedal at her feet, shooting the Mako backwards away from the wreck. When she felt she had put sufficient distance between them and the wreck she turned the vehicle about, or tried to, as a single large claw pierced through the roof, ripping through the seat Liara had previously occupied and the side of the vehicle as the thresher retreated below ground.

Ash looked back at her controls as Shepard started driving them back towards the slope they had some down, bringing the turret to life, just before the thresher burst from the ground in front of them. Shepard managed to swerve around the body and claws as the machine gun on the roof began shooting into the plated body of the creature.

Liara sighed as she saw the thresher dive back into the ground, staring through the gap it had left in the side of the Mako as Shepard drove off. She looked up at Shepard from between her and Ash's chairs, "Guess that answers that, tell me we're going back to the ship?"

Shepard gave her a sympathetic look, but Liara could see something in it comparable to glee, "Sorry, but we need to get that transmitter offline at the very least. Otherwise another ship could land right on top of that thresher maw, just like those marines."

Liara moved back tot he only remaining passenger seat to strap herself in, before projecting a barrier to seal the tear and offer them all some protection. As they approached the wreck again, the maw forced its way to the surface in front of them before spitting acid towards the Mako, presumably what had managed to melt through the hull of the other rover. Shepard waited until the last second to fire the Mako's landing thrusters, launching them over the cloud of acid as it impacted the ground causing Liara to yelp as she was thrown against her harness. Ash adjusted the cannon as the Mako rose, firing the Mako's mass driver at the gaping jaw before them, plasma forming around the shot as it ripped through the soft, exposed flesh within the animals mouth.

Shepard once again pulled them to a stop by the Grizzly before climbing out of her seat and towards the door. "Not a bad shot Ash, but I think Garrus still has you beat."

"That's hardly fair Commander, I was in shock when he did that. I'd bet it was a fluke anyway!" Ash replied defensively, she was not going to be out shot by an alien, ally or not.

Liara pushed the harness of from over her shoulders and looked at the two marines, "Is it really that important, or should we be be checking for any sign of the marines" she sighed.

The three stepped out of the vehicle onto the soft sand of the planets surface. The vehicle appeared to be surrounded by small two metre long mounds that were quickly discovered to be bodies buried by the planet's winds blowing the sand around. They group quickly took all the dog tags they could find from in and around the ruined grizzly, before returning to the Mako and calling for Joker to pick them up.

* * *

"What did you do?!" Tali screamed, staring at the wrecked shell of a vehicle in front of her. "You've had it for one day, and... and..."

Garrus pushed himself off from one of the rear wheels of the Mako, not taking his eyes off Shepard, "Just had to prove you didn't need a volcano didn't you."

Shepard couldn't help but smile at the two tech experts, she knew they were both more than capable of patching it up, and she wasn't about to start begrudging her team a little banter. "I swear, it's entirely the maw's fault."

Tali burst out laughing, bending over to lean on the twisted hull of the Mako as Garrus managed to maintain enough of a straight face to answer, "You drove right into it's nest, how is that it's fault. They're territorial." At least it looked like a straight face to Shepard. "Maybe we should give someone else a chance to drive, say the... turian marksman that can spot a cliff, or hill, or the giant thresher maw about to try to eat him."

"Okay, space chicken, laugh it up. Now if you don't mind, I need to go report on our mission." Shepard sighed, the amusement slipping out of her expression.

Garrus froze, realizing what the implications of the maw that had been at the beacon really meant, watching as Shepard left the cargo bay before he turned to Tali, still stifling her laughter, despite the depressing turn the conversation had taken. "Think we can get this thing patched up?"

Tali managed to hold herself in check long enough to respond "Should be able to with a few day's work. Adams doesn't need me for anything for a while, so I guess I'm all yours Garrus." She smiled at the turian, not worrying about him being able to see her expression as he turned back to the Mako.

"We better get to work then." Garrus sighed.

Shepard stepped off the lift, finding herself facing a conversation between Ashley and Liara.

"But why leave an identical tag to what you take on the body?"

"The body remains ID'd, while you still have proof they were killed in action."

Liara sighed, glancing over to Shepard that had just stepped threw the door before looking at the floor in front of her. "Well, at least I know what to do should anything happen..."

Shepard stepped up beside the young asari, placing an arm around her shoulders to pull her gently into a hug, while she pulled her own dog tags out from under her jacket. "We're all in this fight to the end, to stop Saren. I assure you, we'll all be there on the day we stop him, and everyone will be walking away from it. Do I make myself clear Doctor?" Shepard said gently to Liara. The down side to the two non military personnel on board the Normandy, Liara and Tali were both competent in a fight, but they lacked the emotional training soldiers had.

Shepard looked back to Ash next to them. "Right. Need to report to Admiral Kahoku. Ash, you're with me." Shepard stated, walking off towards the stairs to the CIC and the comm room, leaving Liara to wander back to the medbay.

Shepard and Ash stepped into the comm room towards the console, running through commands until an image of Admiral Kahoku appeared in front of them both, "Ah, Shepard. I assume you have news about my marines?"

"I'm afraid so Admiral, they were all killed." Shepard sighed, she always hated delivering this kind of news. "It seems they landed on top of a thresher maw's nest."

"That's... They wouldn't just stumble into a maw unprepared. They were my best squad."

"They were lured there Sir," Ash offered, "We found an alliance distress beacon right where they had landed. The maw nearly tore our Mako apart when we were investigating it." She held the handful of dog tags up she had been discussing with Liara, "At least they can be declared dead rather than missing, Sir."

"Thank you, Chief, Commander. If you'll excuse me, I need to make some calls and find out why my investigation got stonewalled on this, and how that beacon ended up on that planet."

"Good luck, Admiral" Shepard saluted before cutting the line.

"Commander," Joker's voice came over the ship's comm, "We received an audio only message from Ambassador Udina while you were planet side. Afraid his encryption wouldn't let me forward the file to you, I think he's worried about the contents hitting the news."

"Play us the file joker."

Udina's voice filled the room, "Shepard, I have news. One of out colonies in the traverse has gone silent. It's Feros in the Attican Beta cluster, we had reports of geth sightings in the cluster the last few days. It might be nothing, but if it's not, it's the only lead we have on Saren for the moment."

Somehow, even a recording of Udina managed to sound like he was trying to patronize her. Sure, she'd never put the geth sightings and silent colony together. "Joker, get us to Feros, and give me an ETA."

"On route Commander. ETA, sixteen hours, guess we'll be getting there for breakfast, wonder if their eggs are any better than ours?"

* * *

Garrus pushed himself out from under the Mako, looking up at Tali as she handed him a spanner. "You'd think Shepard could at least let us know before she uses the Mako as chew toy for thresher maws."

"It's not like they come with a great big sign saying 'thresher maw here' _._ " Tali laughed. "So how do you find working with Shepard?"

"Chasing a rogue spectre, a huge geth army to fight and no red tape. Certainly beats C-Sec," Garrus smiled, "Even I do end up patching the Mako after Shepard's excursions. Just glad I was right about what working with a spectre could be like."

Tali looked at him curiously. "Have you worked with one before?"

"No, but I've seen what they're like. Spectres often operate on the citadel as well as in citadel space, It's not uncommon for a C-Sec investigation to cross paths with theirs. The difference is, they always get what they're trying to do, done." Garrus sighed, "No rules to get in the way."

Tali scowled at him through her helmet, "Not going to be going all trigger happy on Shepard, are you Vakarian?"

"Well, it's safe to say the only other dextro on board doesn't need to worry. Anything happens to you, there's no telling how bad the food could get."

"Gee, doesn't that make me feel important. Hate to think what's keeping the rest of the galaxy alive." she sulked.

"Hopefully the desire to do things the right way." Shepard said, scowling at Garrus as she stepped off the elevator. "Since those rules are there for a reason, how about we stick to a few of them."

Garrus pushed himself up against the Mako, "As long as we catch Saren, what does it matter how we do it."

"And what, leave a trail of bodies the length of the citadel? How about the population of a colony in the traverse."

"What! I... er... that's not what I meant Commander." Garrus stuttered.

"It better not be, else the next time that airlock opens, you're not getting back in it." Shepard walked over to the them, looking down at Garrus leaning on the Mako. "So when do I get this bucket of bolts back in working order?"

"Er, about three days. Don't expect miracles, but we'll try to get it going as soon as we can."

"Right, Garrus, this is your only priority for the next few days. Tali?" The quarian looked round at Shepard in surprise. "We're heading to a colony that's under attack by the geth, I want you on the ground team, you've got the most technical expertise on them out of everyone on board the ship."

"Absolutely Commander. When do we land?"

"Tomorrow morning, make sure you're ready to go by nine at the latest." Shepard smiled trying to reassure Tali as she began rubbing her gloved hands with nerves. "You'll do fine, and we've got enough fire power to keep you covered."

"I'll be ready, I just need to go do some software patches." Tali chirped as she bounced off towards engineering.

* * *

Liara sat down opposite Kaidan with a plate of something humans called pasta, although she could swear it was almost identical to a staple in asari cuisine, usually accompanied by large amounts of fruit rather than what appeared to be meat. As she looked up from her plate she found Kaidan staring at her, "Is everything okay?"

"What? Yeah, fine." Kaidan said as he want back to looking at his almost empty plate, before back to Liara. "What's it like for asari learning to use biotics? It's such a new thing for humanity, there's stigma and misconception everywhere. We didn't even have any human biotics to train us back when I went through the training program."

Liara appeared shocked, "For asari? We all have biotic potential to varying degrees. I guess since we all grow up with them, getting taught to use them, it becomes as normal as being able to read and write. If you don't mind me asking, what did humanity do about training the first group?" Kaidan slowly turned white as Liara spoke, "You don't have to-"

"No, it's fine." Kaidan interrupted, "They pulled in some turian mercenaries for instructors, and dumped all of us on Jump Zero, as far away from a significant population as they could. With the distance, it's safe to say there was a considerable lack of oversight. Things got a little... off the rails."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back unpleasant memories, I was just curious how humanity had adapted. Given the abundance of eezo on Thessia, I guess I just find it hard to imagine not having biotics."

The two sat in silence as they ate until curiosity got the better of Kaidan, "So... Ash saw you leaving the Commander's quarters this morning."

Liara looked down, rapidly becoming a brighter shade of blue for what must be the fifth time that day. "We were up late talking, I guess I just fell asleep. I woke up in there this morning with a headache."

"Sorry, I just though that after you burst into the Comm room when we got back, you two might be..." Kaidan sighed before shaking his head at himself, "Sorry, I guess my curiosity got the better of me."

"Something we are both guilty of then." Liara replied, trying to smile sweetly, "If you'll excuse me, I told the Commander I would find some information for her on Feros, since it's a major Prothean site."

Liara got up and left the table with her meal, leaving Kaidan to hide his face in his hands, "Great job, really well done." He looked over as someone sat down beside him, giving him a firm pat on the back. "Don't tell me you heard that?"

Ash smiled at him, "Sure thing Lieutenant." She just sat there starting to shovel down her meal, "So how is it going then, hitting on the CO's girlfriend?"

"They aren't a couple, and I hardly think talking about brain camp qualifies as hitting on her." Kaidan replied defensively.

"You didn't spend the afternoon in a Mako with them, being attacked by a thresher maw. I'll bet Liara never took her eyes of Shepard," Ash laughed, "So, apart from staring at her like she's a stripper, what's your interest in her."

"How long were you standing there?" Kaidan asked startled, "And what's not to like?"

"Long enough, didn't want to put you off your game." Ash smiled at him.

They both paused as they heard the door to the elevator open and someone walk out. They went back to quickly eating their meal as Shepard walked around the corner, "You two are very quiet." she stated as she collected a meal and sat down opposite the two of them. "Not interrupting anything am I?" Shepard asked, smiling at the uncomfortable looks on their faces.

"No, of course not Commander." Ash quickly answered as she finished eating. "I should get back to work, I'm still on duty."

Kaidan looked down at the remainder of his meal, "Yeah, I should be getting back as well."

Shepard looked around as the two marines quickly upped and left, before shrugging and starting on her meal while looking over a report to settle into a dull evening.


	7. Metal and Cellulose

"They''ve got a single ship on the ground, but it's seems to have landed on the side of part of the colony." Joker said, guiding the Normandy down towards the colony's port. "The Normandy should be safe at the port, well away from their landing site. You'll need to find your own transport down there though, it's a few miles to that ship."

"Got it Joker." Shepard replied looking back at the squad behind her. She had gathered everyone, apart from Garrus who was working on the Mako, and Liara, since Shepard didn't want to bring her into the middle of an invasion without good reason. The ship pulled into the automated dock without hearing any radio chatter, suggesting the colony's communications being jammed, which would explain the lack of news from the colony.

As the ship's airlock opened, the team filed out, quickly securing the dock as a man walked up towards them. "We saw your ship coming in to land, Fai Dan wants to speak with you."

"We're here to find out what the geth are after, and hopefully save the colony. Why does Fai Dan want to see us, who's in charge of the colony's marines?" Shepard asked, scanning the area around the port.

"Fai Dan leads us, he's seeing to the defence of the colony. You need to speak to him." the man said, growing nervous.

" **Shepard!** " a voice shouted from the direction of the ship's airlock. "You are not leaving me on board the Normandy, while you go off into the biggest known prothean ruin!"

The team looked back, seeing Liara walk out of the airlock, struggling with her right armoured glove. Shepard stepped up in front of her with her arms crossed, giving Liara a stern authoritative look. "This is an invasion, not a dig site. You're staying on the ship."

"Surely that's my choice, I can make my own decisions, Shepard."

"You might be capable in a fire fight, but you are still a civilian, I won't subject you to that." Shepard sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides.

"I won't be left on the ship while the team puts themselves in danger. This planet was a major prothean colony, whatever Saren wants on this planet has to do with their extinction. You need me!" Liara argued.

Shepard shook her head in defeat, "Okay, you can come, but stay right behind me unless I say otherwise." Liara nodded in response. Shepard turned back towards the man who had approached the group muttering "I'm going to regret this."

A loud bang came from the distance, followed by Ash shouting " **Get down!** " A rocket soared towards the group as Shepard pulled Liara behind a pile of containers against the side of the walk walkway. The projectile landing at the feet of the colonist, detonating on impact, distributing charred remains across the dock.

The team quickly dispatched a small geth scout group that had managed to sneak up on them, leaving their only option to head towards the colony.

* * *

Fai Dan had been able fill in far more of the unknowns than the man at the dock, although he was the only person in the colony that did answer any questions, everyone else simply saying they should speak to Fai Dan. Unfortunately, he had no idea what the geth were after, but he was able to point them towards the Exogeni headquarters where the geth dropship was located, after they had destroyed a geth transmitter being used to launch attacks on the colony. With the colony secured for the time being, the group headed into a lift to take them to a garage with access to skyway running directly to the Exogeni headquarters.

Liara looked around the group as the doors sealed them in the car. "I know I'm not the most experienced in the group with humans, but did their behaviour seem... off... to anyone else as well?"

"Something was defiantly wrong, they didn't seem inclined to talk about it." Kaidan stated.

Shepard looked over at them both. "We still have no idea why the geth are here, but I suspect their behaviour is somehow related. Doesn't seem like they're simply in shock or a normal reaction to stress."

The elevator doors opened into the garage, with the Exogeni tower visible several miles into the distance. "So how are we getting there since Shepard wrecked out wheels?" Wrex asked, laughing to himself as he finished.

"Not a fan of walking I take it Wrex?" Shepard asked as she leant against a Grizzly sitting behind them, patting the tire. "I think we can find something to drive. There should even be a few extra seats."

Apart from the geth squads they encountered along the skyway, which were easily dispatched with the Grizzly's heavier guns, even geth armatures seemed unable to take much fire from the main cannon. They were however surprised to hear a transmission as they entered a way point on the skyway.  _"We have movement, It's one of the rovers from Zhu's Hope. I thought they were all dead?"_ Shepard stopped the vehicle at this, indicating for the team to file out of the vehicle.

As they took up positions around the rover, Tali spotted something by a ramp to a lower level. "Shepard, there's a camera over there, a cable runs to the level below. I think there are survivors down there." she shouted in surprise.

Shepard carefully lead the team down, rounding a corner to find herself standing just inside a large open space with a marine pointing their assault rifle at her head before they sighed, "Thank god, you're human." before tensing slightly as the rest of the team followed, including a large krogan.

Shepard gently pushed the barrel of the rifle aimed at her head towards the ground. "We're here to help, relax marine." she stated firmly before she walked past the barricade the marine were using for cover.

Shepard walked towards two members of the colony rapidly discussing something between each other until one of them turned to face Shepard. "That's close enough!"

"Relax Jeong, they're obviously not geth." the woman he had been talking to scolded.

"Juliana, I'll handle this." the man stated before turning back to Shepard, clutching a pistol in one hand. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Shepard just stared at him, crossing her arms, "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance. We heard you have a geth problem."

"You see," Juliana said, "They're here to help. You shouldn't worry so much."

"And you trust too easily. Just because they're human, doesn't mean they're here to help us."

"I'm just glad to see a friendly face, I thought we were the only humans left on this planet."

"No, some of the members of Zhu's Hope are still alive." Shepard offered. "We had to help them fend off a geth attack, and secure their position, but they should be able to hold out."

Juliana rounded on Jeong. "You told us they were all dead!"

"Probably, I said probably." He replied cowering back slightly under her gaze.

Ash stepped up beside Shepard, "They're not dead, but they were hit pretty hard by the geth."

"Look, we need to get to the Exogeni headquarters, we were told that's where they dug in. How much further is it along the skyway?" Shepard asked.

"Not far, there's a ramp up to the next stretch, which leads directly to a garage at the base of the occupied part of the structure, although the geth have probably tried to seal it by now." Juliana answered, before Jeong had chance to respond.

"That building is private property, soldier. Remove the geth and nothing else. The company will be taking inventory after this is over."

"I'm here for the geth, not your company secrets. Still, if you know why the geth are here, you'd be doing yourself a huge favour by just telling me." Shepard stated, before turning towards the way out.

"Commander, before you go, my daughter, Lizbeth, she's missing... She was in the headquarters when the geth attacked, no one's seen her since." Juliana pleaded.

"They shouldn't waste time poking around." Jeong interrupted, "We can do a propper accounting of our casualties after the geth have been removed."

"That's my daughter you-"

"I'll see if I can find her for you Juliana." Shepard gently interupted before turning again to leave. "Kaidan, Ash, stay here and keep everyone safe. Their soldiers look tired."

"Aye-Aye skipper." the two said in unison as Shepard started back towards the Grizzly.

"Excuse me, Commander!" one of the Exogeni workers said from a terminal off to the side.

Shepard walked over towards the man, "Can we help you with something?"

"I'm Gavin Hossle, I'm a freelancer. Exogeni hired me to help with the colony plans. Unfortunately, when the geth attacked, I had to leave all my data on the network. If I can't get it back, I'm ruined."

"Seems simple enough." Shepard commented, "what's the catch?"

"Well, the only way to retrieve it, since the system went into lock down, is from my console in the building. It's not really a catch, it's just not going to be easy, looks like you're all set for that though" Gavin laughed, eyeing the heavy weapons pack on each of their backs.

"Why do people seem to assume we enjoy putting ourselves into hazardous situation?" Liara sighed. "I'm an archaeologist."

"There's a shotgun on your back." Shepard laughed back at her. "We'll see what we can do about your data."

"Great, just transfer the data to this OSD" he said, handing them an OSD before they left back towards the skyway.

* * *

The Grizzly pulled to a halt outside of the garage of the headquarters, with a pile of rubble that had been the ceiling, sitting in the entrance. The four of them weaved a path between several beams blocking the rover's route. After quickly shooting their way through a geth squad, guarding the door into the garage they entered from, they found themselves facing a powerful looking barrier.

Tali activated her omni-tool to quickly scan the barrier. "It's being powered by the geth ship, there's no way we'll be able to force our way through it."

"Can't you hack it, Tali?" Shepard asked, looking slightly confused.

Tali's helmet just turned to face Shepard. "It's an energy field, not a door, there's no lock. There's nothing to hack, even if it would help."

Shepard looked down a ledge beside her, "Only one option then."

"We're not getting back up again." Wrex grunted from behind her as he peered down, before leaping into the hole and landing with a thud.

Shepard slid down to join Wrex, followed by Liara and Tali, before starting off along the tunnel, away from the barrier that had blocked their path. Wrex was the first to walk out into a large open chamber, a single small round flaring his barriers, making him rear round in a small woman. She screamed, dropping the pistol, and backing up against the wall behind her.

Shepard stepped up next to Wrex, putting a hand on his arm to hold him back, "Easy Wrex, she's probably in shock." She walked over to the woman who had curled up at the foot of the wall. "It's Okay, we're here to help. Are you Lizabeth?"

The woman looked up at the sound of her name. "Y-yes... I'm... sorry I shot at you."

Lizabeth jumped as Wrex let out a grunt and shrugged. "No harm done. Piddly little thing."

"Erm, how do you know my name, why are you looking for me?" She asked, looking rather nervous.

"Your mother, Juliana, asked us to look for you. She said you went missing after the attack, why are you still here?" Shepard asked, offering a hang to her.

Lizabeth took the hand, letting herself be lifted to her feet. "When the attack started, everyone started running, but... I stayed behind to back up data. Then the building shook as that ship latched on, and the power went out. I tried to get out, but they had all the exits blocked, so... I just hid."

"The geth blocked you off, why didn't they spot you?"

"No, it wasn't the geth, they have barriers all over the building to stop anyone getting into the garage. I think they want to stop anyone from getting to the... erm..." Lizabeth paused, looking at her feet.

"Lizabeth, we're here for the geth. We need to know what they're after if we're going to stop them from getting it." Shepard gently prompted.

"I-I'm not sure, but I think they're after the Thorian."

The group all looked around at each other with a puzzled expression, until Liara looked back to the woman before them. "What's a thorian?"

"It's a life-form indigenous to Feros. Exogeni was studying it." Lizbeth replied, "Can we please get out of here."

"Okay, you stay here. We'll get you out safe." Shepard promised.

"Here, take my ID. It'll get you into most of the facility." Lizbeth offered, holding out an ID badge.

"Thanks." She replied before she turned back to the team. "We need to get to that ship and cut the power somehow. Preferably destroy that ship too. Move out!"

The building proved remarkably quiet as they worked their way in the direction of the geth ship, and the source of the energy barriers. Several locked doors that had been blocking their way had opened when Shepard swiped the ID over the HI, showing another empty room or corridor. Finally, as one door opened, a krogan came into view.

"-what I want or I'll blow your  **virtual ass**  into  **actual dust!** " The Krogan shouted at the VI he was talking to.

"I'm sorry, but you are not cleared for level four security. Please contact your supervisor for an exception to be made, or make an appointment with-" The VI attempted to inform the krogan before being cut off.

" **Stupid machine!** "

"If there is nothing else I can do for you, please step aside. A queue is forming behind you for the use of this console."

The krogan looked behind him, "Oh good. I really want to kill something!"

Shepard looked back at the three behind her, "Ah crap!"

Shepard dropped her assault rifle, pulling her shotgun off her back as she turned back to face the krogan. A warp field flew past her into the krogan's barrier, causing a small explosion. The krogan was knocked back by the force, as Wrex charged in head first. A shot the other krogan had managed to fire from his shotgun flared Wrex's barrier. Jane looked away as a crunch, followed by several blasts of a shotgun rang through the room. The only sound after that was of a large body collapsing to the ground. Shepard scooped up her assault rifle, and walked up to the VI that the krogan had shouted at.

"Exogeni Corporation reminds employees that the discharge of weapons on company property is strictly prohibited." The VI calmly offered, seemingly unaware of the implication of the events that had occurred, before it continued. "Welcome back Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. How may I help you today?"

"Must be the ID badge." Tali muttered as the group stepped up around Shepard.

"What was the previous user attempting to access?" Shepard asked, looking down at the corpse on the floor, missing the majority of its head.

"The previous user was attempting to access all information gathered on species thirty seven, also known as the Thorian." The VI state neutrally. "I was however unable to provide any, as they lacked sufficient security clearance. There has also been no recent data entered on the Thorian, as all monitoring equipment at the research outpost of Zhu's Hope has been offline for several days."

Shepard looked rather alarmed, "Zhu's Hope, what do they have to do with the Thorian? Just tell me everything you can about it!"

The VI flickered for a second as it loaded the relevant information. "Species Thirty-Seven, is a simple plant life form, that appears to exhibit sentient behaviour, and self-awareness, unheard of in any other species of flora. It also appears to be capable of assuming some measure on control on forms of fauna, through the use of spore particles dispersed into the atmosphere inhaled by its targets. Zhu's Hope is being used as a test group, to observe its effectiveness at controlling humans. Prior to the loss of all sensor input, scans showed that over eighty-five percent of the population were effected."

Shepard looked at the VI stunned, "You're telling me, that Exogeni was intentionally exposing its people to a form of alien mind control, just to see what the effects would be?"

"It was deemed necessary in order to assess the potential of Species Thirty-Seven." the VI stated coldly.

Liara looked at Shepard, slight worried, "I guess that explains the strange behaviour of the colonists."

"Okay, we need to take care of that geth ship, and get back to the port." Shepard exclaimed, as she walked off towards a flight of stairs to the side of the room. She tapped her helmet to open a comm link to the Normandy, only being met with static. "Joker!? Joker!?" She shouted into her helmet, only getting static in response. "Just great."

The building continued to prove empty until they filed into a room that had been torn apart. A large metal claw had forced through the exterior wall, and hooked down through the floor. Shepard pulled her shotgun from her back before pointing down, and holding two fingers up to the group. Wrex stepped up beside her, just before they both dropped down, landing behind a pair of geth. Shepard paused for a second when the geth didn't move, remaining in a position she would have called kneeling. The sound of Wrex's shotgun firing, pulled her out of her curiosity, and quickly fired at the geth, leaving it laying across the floor.

Tali and Liara dropped down next to Shepard and Wrex, with a large metal cage in front of them, contain a light source that didn't quite seem to be there. "Tali, is it possible the get are religious? They looked like they were praying to this thing." Shepard asked, looking at the metal object in front of her.

"It's possible, the memory core did say they saw the reapers as gods. I would guess if they were then this item is a reaper artefact." Tali pondered.

"We'll have to worry about it later, is there any way we can dislodge this claw, and the ship?" Shepard stared up at the metal claw protruding into building, and presumably the cause of the hole in the ceiling.

Tali quickly scanned the building around the claw, "We don't have anything capable of destroying one of these claws, but it's possible we might find another that we could dislodge."

"Okay, lets get moving." Shepard sighed, leading the group towards a doorway.

As they walked down a corridor, Liara paused at a name plate on an office that read 'Gavin Hossle'. "Shepard, isn't this the office of that freelancer?"

Shepard glanced back at the door, "Looks like it, is the door unlocked?"

Liara tapped the door's interface, making it slide half-open, offering just enough room for everyone but Wrex to get in. The room proved to be barely present. One of the claws had torn through the far wall, shredding the partition between it and the next office. Tali stepped over to a remaining intact terminal to start downloading data , while Shepard carefully looked over the remains of the wall supporting the claw.

Tali looked back from the console as the last download started, looking at Shepard's work with the wall. She'd managed to cluster the grenades over cracks that were forming along the wall supporting the claw. "Okay, we may want to get out of here." Shepard jested, moving towards the door.

As they moved into the corridor Shepard sealed the door behind them and began running towards the garage and Lizabeth before she hit the detonator. The sound rumbled through the building as the geth ship jerked under the loss of support. As the ship began to fall, each claw tore free of the building, shaking the floor beneath them each time. As they rounded a corner the garage became visible, the energy barrier clearly powered down. As they passed through the doorway, the entire building shook around them, just before a loud scream of metal tearing as the geth ship crashed into the planet's surface below them.

The four of them just stared at each other until a voice came over the comm. " _Commander! Come in! God, I hate Zombies!"_

Shepard tapped her helmet to respond, "Joker, is that you?"

" _Good to hear your voice Commander, the colonists have gone mad, they're banging on the airlock. And those Zombie things, they almost look like husks!"_

"Don't shoot them Joker, they're not in control of themselves. Repeat,  **Do not shoot.** " Shepard ordered as she saw Lizabeth walk through the doorway that had come through.

" _Shepard, I'm seeing huge numbers of geth closing on your location. You need to get out of there now, Commander."_ Joker shouted frantically.

Shepard pulled her assault rifle out as she ordered the team to run to the Grizzly. As geth began pouring out of newly opened doorways, she fired as many shots off as she could until Lizbeth closed on her. She grabbed Lizbeth by the arm, dragging her to the Grizzly, forcing them both inside as Wrex managed to bring the vehicles turret to life, tearing through the geth approaching them.

Shepard settled herself into the driver's seat before the vehicle lurched forwards, rapidly accelerating as Shepard turned back in her seat to give Lizbeth a rather menacing stare. "You know more about the Thorian than you let on Ms Baynham. Care to tell us why you neglected to inform us?"

"I was afraid." the girl sobbed, "You know what that thing can do to people, I didn't want it to be me next. When the geth attacked, I tried to send a message to Colonial Affairs, the Alliance, the Citadel, anyone, but... the geth cut the power. I wanted to tell everyone what was happening."

Shepard let out a small laugh as she ploughed the Grizzly through a geth armature that Wrex had missed with the main cannon, "Okay, so where exactly is the Thorian?"

Static came over the radio as the rover entered the structure leading to the lower level of the skyway, the geth all behind them in ruin. _"Is there anyone there, can anyone hear me?"_  Juliana's voice barely made it through the background noise.

 _"Get away from that radio!"_ Jeong shouted from somewhere further away from the microphone.

Everyone sat in the rear of the vehicle just looked at each other in confusion as the rover drove down the ramp towards the survivors gathered there, before another message came through. _"This is Juliana Baynham, please, can someone help us?"_

"Stop!" Lizbeth screamed "That was my mother. Where are they?"

Shepard pulled the rover to a stop as the door was flung open. They began cautiously moving down towards the survivors, stopping as Shepard came to the last corner. She quickly scanned the colony, spotting Juliana in an argument with Jeong, who was holding his pistol and waving it around, and Kaidan and Ash, knelt down at gunpoint.

"You can't do this Jeong!"

"Shut up! Let me think!" Jeong shouted. He waved his pistol towards Juliana as a marine approached, "Get her out of here."

Lizabeth screamed as the marine grabbed her mother, sprinting past Shepard, forcing her to reach out from behind the wall to try to grab Lizaberth's arm, only finding Jeong looking directly at her.

"Come out here, all of you!" He shouted, waving the pistol about towards Lizabeth who was standing in the open. Shepard simply followed with her hands up by her head. "Shepard! Damn it, somehow I knew it was too much to hope the geth would kill you, or that you'd get caught by that ship collapsing. Exogeni has some interesting facts about you the database, Elysium was certainly impressive, but this doesn't have to end like that."

"You'd better start talking if you want to get through this alive," Shepard said calmly, raising her voice slightly. "And take your guns off my people."

"You don't understand, we've received orders from Gexogeni after the communications came back online. Exogeni wants this place purged."

"This is a human colony Jeong, we have rights. You can't just re-purpose us." Lizabeth argued.

"This isn't about you, there's something far more valuable that a few dozen surviving colonists.

Shepard just glared at him crossing her arms, "You're after the Thorian, the whole reason Exogeni put so much effort into this colony."

"The what?" Juliana asked as she wrenched an arm free from the marine.

Lizabeth glanced at her mother before she looked down at the ground ashamed. "It's a telepathic life form that lives under Zhu's Hope. It's taken control of the colonists there. Exogeni knew all along."

Jeong rounded on Shepard, pointing his pistol at Shepard's chest. "I can't let you interfere with Exogeni's plans."

Shepard just shook her head as she crosser her arms, "I'm going to just let you kill these people Jeong, you must know that."

"I'm just following orders Shepard, just like you." Jeong turned in what seemed like slow motion, moving his aim towards Liara standing at Shepard shoulder.

Shepard quickly pulled her pistol off her waist, putting a single shot into Jeong's skull, causing him to fall to the ground. "Don't point a gun at my team!" Shepard rounded on the two marines pointing their guns at Ash and Kaidan, along with Tali and Wrex, while Liara flared her biotics. The two quickly dropped their rifles, holding their hands up to show they wouldn't shoot.

"As if the geth weren't enough, now we're shooting each other." Julia commented.

"This is all my fault. I knew all about this and I didn't do anything about it." Lizabeth sobbed.

"I'm sure you did everything you could to stop them, you've always done the best you can." Juliana offered to support her daughter. "So what now Commander?"

"We need to go do something about the Thorian, then make sure everyone back here is okay."

Lizbeth looked at them alarmed, "The colonists, they'll never let you get near the Thorian, it'll sacrifice them long before you get anywhere near it."

Shepard looked back towards the group of marines, "Are you all issued with flash-bangs?"

"Yes. We may have one or two each, but with them being under the control of another life form, There's no way to know what effect they'll have."

"They'll do, let's go." Shepard looked around the camp, spotting Gavin at his terminal by the same terminal, she OSD next to it, before taking the grenades from the soldiers, totaling six, and lead the five following her back to the Grizzly.

* * *

The skyway proved to be empty until they reached the garage they had found the Grizzly in. As they approached the doors, they remained firmly shut, forcing the group to file out of the vehicle and proceed on foot. A green body was curled up at the base of the door, completely inanimate. Shepard stepped up towards the body, pulling her shotgun off her back as a precaution. "You think these are the zombies Joker mentioned?"

Wrex stepped up next to her and looked down at the body, before firing his shotgun, splattering some sort of plant material over the floor. "They die. I don't see a problem."

Shepard looked over the remains, as Ash stepped up on her other side, "No way that thing was one of the colonists, Skipper. The husks were transformed, but this is... It doesn't even look like meat."

"I think they're plants, probably something the Thorian produces to defend it's self." Tali offered, switching off her omni-tool.

Shepard turned to look Wrex in the eyes. "You do not shoot unless I order it, and do not shoot the colonists."

Wrex looked back at Shepard, "I'll shoot what I want." He paused as Shepard's expression turned to anger, "But I won't shoot the colonists."

"You better stick to that, Wrex." Shepard threatened, stepping towards the door control. "Everyone ready?"

As everyone confirmed they were all ready, Shepard pointed her assault rifle towards the door, hitting the HI. As the door slid open, the garage was full of more of the green... plants, each slowly standing up, staring at her with black, empty eyes. Every single one of the plants streaked in unison, their jaws stretching unnaturally wide, looking a lot like the husks, before they all charged towards the open door. Guns fired along the length of the party, causing bodies to explode in front of them, while Liara and Kaidan threw groups of them against the walls of the garage, causing them to reduce to smears, painting the walls green. As the air cleared, Shepard looked over to the elevator in time to see the doors open, managing to drag Liara and Ash into cover, shouting at the others in the team to do the same, just before gunfire started hitting the ground they had been standing on.

Wrex lent out from around the side of the door, pulling his shotgun out as Shepard gave him another glare. "Don't you fucking dare."

Wrex looked over at her, clearly annoyed, "And what do you suggest, you can't get them with a grenade at this distance?"

Shepard pulled one off her belt, "Wanna bet, loser buys a round of drinks."

Wrex smiled smugly, "You're on Shepard."

Shepard stepped into the open, letting her shields take several hits as she threw the grenade towards the elevator. As she ducked back into cover, turning her back to the wall, she gestured for everyone to do the same before a high-pitched screech rang through the air, as the gunfire stopped.

She looked back to the lift and Wrex, seeing the krogan hadn't even blinked. "I don't believe you made that throw."

Shepard just smiled as she ran over to the lift, finding the two colonists on the ground, unconscious. "Seems they're more seriously affected, probably got something to do with the Thorian's control. At least we know they work."

After a quick elevator ride, they had to fight their way through the colony. While the colonists were dispatched with the grenades, more of the enthralled plants were charging at the team as they advanced towards the prefab. As the last grenade rendered the last group of colonists unconscious, footsteps came from behind them.

As they turned Fai Dan was holding a pistol pointed towards them, his face screwed up in agony. "I tried to fight it, but it gets in your head. These people trusted me to lead them. It wants me to..." The gun snapped up to his head, as he screamed " **But I won't!** "

Shepard winced as a single shot fired from the pistol, and Fai Dan collapsed on the ground. "He was a good man, let's hope we can save the rest of the colonists."

Wrex grunted, "Just let me shoot something already."

Tali managed to remove the prefab, using the crane the colonists had used to move it originally, exposing a dark tunnel downwards into the building beneath them. The six descended in silence, relying on flash lights to see, snaking their way through the ruins of the building. They stepped onto what appeared to be a large balcony running around a central chamber, making the group sigh in frustration.

Ash looked at Shepard, "We don't even know how big this thing is."

Shepard looked out into the open space in front of them, using the light attached to her assault rifle, as the sound of something oozing caught her attention. The light flicked over a large green mass, tendrils hanging from the main body, while larger ones moved off to the unseen walls around them. "I think we found it." Shepard mumbled, looking up at the monstrosity began to convulse.

Shepard stepped back as a fluid spilled from the an orifice, bringing what appeared to be the body of a green asari. She looked up at them as she rose to her feel, her eyes pitch black. "Invaders, your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to decompose, to rot. I speak for the old growth. You stand before the Thorian, it commands you be in awe!"

Shepard stepped towards the Asari, doing her best not to look down at the exposed flesh. "Saren came here for something, I need whatever it was."

"Saren sought knowledge of those that came before. The Old Growth listened to meat for the first time in the Galaxy's Cycle. It agreed to trade. Then metal began killing The Old Growth, forcing back growth for the next cycle. The Old Growth sees your air as lies. It will listen no more!"

"You can't keep your thralls, they have the right to free will. Release them. Now!" Shepard demanded.

"The Thorian will listen to meat no more. Your lives are short, but they have gone on too long!" The asari spat as biotics flared.

Shepard quickly raised her assault rifle to fire, but the asari was thrown backwards into the deep pit below the Thorian. Shepard looked back at Liara who's biotics were still flared, "You guys really need to stop stealing my kills. Any ideas how we kill this thing anyway? "

Kaidan looked over the edge of the flooring, down towards where the asari had fallen, "Seems like a long enough drop, and this thing's directly over it."

"Right, Ash, you take Wrex and Tali. Work your way clockwise. The rest of you, with me."

They quickly managed to work their way around to the opposite side of the Thorian, although it was still hanging before them, although clearly in pain, fluids seeping down it's tendrils. Ash continued to the upper level, while Shepard led her group down a level. They continuing to shoot out the tendrils supporting the main body, while the Thorian's thralls continued to harass them.

Shepard looked around to see Liara being forced backwards towards the edge of the remaining floor. Shepard ran straight towards them the grow, firing her shotgun to force her way through. Liara slipped backwards, the floor giving way beneath her feet as the Thorian screamed, it's damaged tendrils tearing under its own weight. Liara fell as the Thorian did behind her below Shepard's line of sight towards the floor below. Shepard dove after her, falling past Liara, glowing with biotics, panicking at the large number of thralls covering the floor below her. Shepard landed on one leg with a loud crunch coming from below her, and fell onto an outstretched arm.

Liara landed carefully beside Shepard, letting her biotics die as she picked up Shepard's shotgun, before she threw a singularity into the middle of the thralls that were rising to their feet. Liara shot out the thralls that hadn't been lifted up off their feet, before throwing a warp into the middle of the cluster. The singularity detonated, throwing the thralls into every surface around her, and over the edge to follow the Thorian below.

Shepard looked up at Liara, a large smile spreading across her lips. "Okay, I get it, you can handle yourself. Could have left me at least one though." Shepard tried to climb back up to her feel, before screaming in pain as she put weight onto the leg she had landed on. "Little help?"

Liara just handed Shepard back her shotgun, smiling slightly as she did, before lifting the Commander in a biotic field. "We should find a way back up to the others."

The pair managed to find a staircase back up to the floor they had left Kaidan on. As they approached him he was pulling a knife out, looking at a sack on the wall, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shepard asked as Liara eased her down onto one leg, putting herself one the arm Shepard hadn't landed on.

The three of them gasped as an arm forced its way through the membrane, ripping through the sack, before it gave out and dropped an asari onto the floor, thankfully, purple. The asari looked up at them all, struggling up to her feet, her features identical the one that had come from the Thorian. "I... Thank you all for freeing me."

"Shiala? Are you hurt?" Liara asked.

The asari blinked, trying to focus her eyes as she looked at them. "Liara? I believe that I am fine, or I will be. I though Saren sent a squad to have you captured to aid in his search."

"How did you end up here?" Liara asked.

"When Benezia allied herself with Saren, so did I. She saw the influence Saren had growing, and sought to guide him down a less violent path, but... she lot her own way. Saren is a... compelling individual." Shiala sighed.

"Wait," Shepard interrupted, "you're saying Saren can control minds?"

"We all underestimated Saren, we came to support his goals... his means. He can't control your every action, but something was certainly influencing my decisions and actions, something I find troubling." Shiala conceded.

"Asari matriarchs are among the most powerful beings in the galaxy, revered for their wisdom. How could he possibly managed to control one so completely?" Liara asked, looking like she was working herself up.

"Saren has a huge warship, larger than anything I've ever seen, he calls it Sovereign. I believe it is the source of his control. The process is subtle, but after days, weeks, you become indoctrinated to Saren's will. You... feel him in the back of your mind. He's not quite there, but it's enough for his control to be absolute." Shiala looked at the floor, ashamed, "I was a wiling slave when he brought me here to help communicate with the Thorian. It held secrets that he needed. He offered me in trade, securing an alliance between him and the Thorian."

"Rather fast to betray his own people, and his allies isn't he?" Shepard asked raising an eyebrow.

"He got what he wanted from the thorian, then it became nothing but a risk. He wanted to ensure that you couldn't obtain the cipher."

Shepard looked back over to the hole next to them, "Think we took care of that one ourselves. So what is the cipher?"

"The vision you both received from the beacon on Eden Prime was unclear. It was mean for a prothean mind, not that of any of the races currently in the galaxy. The cipher is the very essence of what it means to be prothean. The Thorian was here long before they colonized this planet, as they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it. I could give you the cipher, enable you to understand the vision."

"Okay, I guess if I'm going to catch Saren, I need this. Do you mind if we get this over with?" Shepard asked, removing her arm from around Liara.

Shiala stepped up to Shepard, placing her hands on Shepard's face, not noticing the scowl Liara was giving her, although Kaidan was rather more observant. "I will try to make this as painless as I can Commander, embrace eternity."

Shepard felt her head throb as she became aware of Shiala at the edge of her mind, before imaged, sounds and feelings surged through her. Slowly the pain began to build until she lost all awareness of what was around her.


	8. Light Duty

Shepard forced her eyes open, gasping for breath. She rolled on her side, grunting in pain as she put weight onto her right arm. She froze at the sight of Liara curled up in a chair beside her.

"Ah, Shepard. I wondered when you would wake up." Doctor Chakwas said from her desk on the other side of the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Arm and leg are killing me, how bad is it?" Shepard asked, letting herself fall onto her back.

"You don't even want to know the damage you did to that leg, stay off it for a day while the medi-gel works. That arm is fine, pain should fade by the end of the day."

"I assume I'm being confined to bed for a few days then?" Shepard groaned.

"Of course, a days bed rest, and a couple of light duty, and you'll be good as new. But first, Joker keeps pestering me that the Council would like to speak with you." Chakwas sighed. "You can go up to the comm room, but I want you to come back as soon as you've finished speaking to them."

Shepard slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed as Liara looked up at her with blue eyes, slowly waking. "I'll take her up, Doctor." She chirped, as she passed Shepard a pair of crutches from beside the bed.

Shepard slid onto the floor, starting off towards the comm room. "I'll be back in a bit Doc."

Shepard stepped into the comm room, incredible annoyed at being on crutches after climbing the stairs up from the crew deck. "Joker, get me the Council?" she asked as she stepped towards the terminal.

"Sure thing commander." Joker responded, leaving her to wait for the connection.

Liara stepped up beside Shepard, having followed her up the stairs to ensure she was okay.

"Commander, Exogeni should have told us about the Thorian, it would have made your job much easier." The Asari Councillor said as the Council's holograms appeared.

"You might have been able to capture it for study rather than having to kill it." The Salarian Councillor added.

"The Thorian could control minds, and from what I saw it was incredibly effective. Anyone studying it would have just become it's thralls." Shepard stated.

"Perhaps it's for the best then. At least you managed to save the colony." The Asari Councillor ventured.

"Of course, Shepard would do anything to save a human colony." The Tuian Councillor spat.

"Yes, I would!" Shepard returned, "And I would do the same thing for any other colony in this galaxy. You sent me to stop Saren, to clean up the mess of  **your**  rogue spectre, so don't complain about me doing the job  **you**  gave me. They were in trouble, I had to help them."

"Admirable, but sometimes spectres have to make sacrifices. The mission must come first, as you know." the Salarian ventured. "I only hope you can do that should the time come."

"Goodbye Commander, we await your next report." The Asari Councillor said before the line cut off, not willing to give anyone chance to reignite the conversation.

"I swear, I hate them more every time I speak to them." Shepard sighed as she moved towards a chair at the side of the room. "Joker, could you call the team to meet us here." she ordered before looking back at Liara, "How long was I out anyway?"

Liara frowned at Shepard as she sat down, "Just a couple of hours, but you need to go back to the medbay."

"And I will... after I get a report from my team over what's happened since, and we've discussed how to proceed." Shepard stated firmly.

The crew slowly entered the comm room, Garrus leading covered in grease from the Mako. Wrex was the last one to enter the room, and to everyone's disgust, dropped the corpse of a varren just inside the door.

"Right, so what have you all been up to since we killed the Thorian?" Shepard asked, eying the varren.

"We've mostly been trying to help the colony out with a few problems the attack caused. They had food, water and energy shortages because of the attack, which Wrex, Tali and me were able to help with." Ash stated before noticing Shepard was eying the varren. "Ye.. Wrex hunted down a pack of varren for them, apparently he's is rather skilled at it."

"Heh, reminds me of home!" Wrex laughed.

"Right, so the colony's trying to find it's feet again. What happened with Shiala?" Shepard asked looking over towards Liara. "And how do you two know each other anyway?"

"Well, as she said, she works- er, worked for my mother. She was the head of the T'Soni house's commandos. She's volunteered to remain at the colony for the time being, and help to fix the damage that she helped to inflict on the colony, willing or not." Liara mumbled.

Shepard just looked at her curiously, before looking back to Kaidan and Ash. "Do we have any more leads on Saren?"

"Absolutely nothing, Commander, apart from whatever that... cryptic... thing was that asari gave you." Kaidan moaned, waving a hand as he tried to refer to the cipher.

"Well nothings just jumping out at me, I'll let you all know if anything comes to light." Shepard replied before looking around the room. "Okay, get back to what you were all doing, we might stay a little while until the alliance sends some relief for the colony. And Wrex, do something before that varren stinks up the ship!"

Shepard lifted herself to her feet once everyone but Liara had left, starting back towards the medbay. "Come on, how do you know Shiala so well? Most people don't take that much interest int heir parents employees."

Liara turned a slightly darker shade of blue as she helped Shepard town tot he crew deck. "I might have had a bit of a crush on her as I was growing up. I've liked purple ever since."

Shepard laughed lightly, "Guess that explains a few things. So why exactly, are you hanging around like my shadow?" Shepard queried. "Like you said, this is a major prothean site, and you're helping the cripple around!"

"You jumped off that ledge after me, necessary or not. I guess I just feel responsible." Liara admitted. They both walked back into the medbay in silence, until Liara found Shepard's attention fixed on her eyes while she was sitting on her bed. "Why did you shoot that man, Commander?" she asked, clearly disproving.

"He pointed a gun at a member of my team. I did it for the same reason I jumped after you. My team was in trouble!" Shepard stated, instantly finding herself unable to look at Liara as she pushed herself back up the bed.

Liara just frowned, shaking her head. "No! Kaidan and Ash both had guns pointed at their heads. You didn't shoot the marines when you walked in there. He waved that gun at Lizabeth and Juliana, and you didn't shoot him." she observed.

Shepard just lay in the bed looking up at the ceiling, while Liara stood there waiting for an answer.

"I'm pulling you off all missions. I engendered a civilian, and the safety of the team." Shepard stated, using the calm tone she used for orders on missions.

"Jane... you can't-" Liara started, sounding upset until Shepard cut her off.

"Dismissed, Doctor."

Liara simply turned and ran out of the medbay, refusing to look at Shepard.

Doctor Chakwas stepped up to Shepard, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I think there's meant to be a  _Commander_  at the end of that question Doctor." Shepard replied, frowning at the Doctor.

"Don't give me that. You know full we you had no reason to do that to Liara. I read the reports, I know exactly what happened out there. Commander." Chakwas chided before she calmly walked out of the medbay, leaving Shepard alone.

Shepard just lay there, looking up at the ceiling rather than rolling over and facing the discomfort her limbs were causing her. _Why shouldn't I stop Liara from going on missions? It's my team. My mission. My decision._

* * *

Ash looked round at the elevator, just like everyone else in the cargo bay, as the door slid open. Liara stepped through the doorway as an audible bang came from under the mostly repaired Mako, Garrus's head coming into contact with the base of the vehicle. She walked strait towards Ash, stopping just next to her while Ash looked at her, slightly confused.

"Can we talk, please, Ash?" Liara muttered, clearly upset about something.

"Erm, sure." Ash answered nervously before she pulled Liara down between the workbench she had been cleaning a rifle on, and the cargo doors. Settling herself in next to Liara, in as much privacy they were going to get on a small ship, she looked over her shoulder at Liara. How on earth had she ended up with Liara coming to talk to her when she was upset, just a few days ago they'd been in a rather loud argument because Ash didn't trust her. "What's up Blue?"

Liara smiled slightly at the nickname, "Shepard... she told me I'm not going on any more missions. I'm... grounded, I guess."

"Did she say why?" Ash asked puzzled.

"She said something about keeping me and everyone else safe, but it didn't make a lot of sense." Liara answered, clearly not remotely convinced.

Ash just looked over at Liara. "You do know Alliance regulations on fraternization, don't you?"

Liara sighed looking down at the floor, "What does fraternization have to do with any of this?"

Ash rolled her eyes, letting her head fall back against the workbench, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone more infatuated than Shepard is right now. Sorry Blue, she's fall for you, hard, she just can't admit it to herself." Liara looked over at Ash stunned. "You really just going to sit there and make me think you had no idea?"

Liara just sat there as her cheeks turned a darker shade of blue. "I had no idea she felt the- erm, I didn't know."

"Oh no you don't, you're not even close to being as discrete as you think." Ash laughed "I've got three younger sisters, trust me, I know when someone is trying to hide that they like someone."

Liara just looked at her feet in front of her. "What do I do?" she asked innocently.

"I have no idea," Ash laughed. "Depends entirely on what you want, and Shepard. Just... don't be anything other than yourself... If that makes any sense."

Liara just smile and shook her head, "Not in the slightest, but... thank you, Ashley." Liara looked back over the workbench, before back to Ash, "Do you have time to give me a shooting lesson?"

Ash smiled at her, "Sure, but what's the thinking?"

Liara simply returned Ash's smile, "If there's a way to convince Shepard to let me back on missions..."

* * *

" _Shepard, we've just received a message from Admiral Kahoku."_

"Does it look like I'm in a position to come up to the comm room Joker?" Shepard asked to the ceiling, a rather large pile of pillows cushioning her leg after Chakwas refused to up her painkiller dose.

" _Erm, no idea. I'll just sent it to your omni."_  Joker replied before cutting the comm.

Shepard lifted her omni tool up as it lit, informing her there was a waiting message. "Shepard, this is Admiral Kahoku. I've managed to track down who planted that beacon, the trap that got my best squad killed by the thresher maw. Damn I hope you get this message. It was a group called Cerberus, an Alliance black ops organization, top secret, highest level security clearance. They disappeared, dropped right off the grid, nobody I speak to seems to know where they went or what they've been up to. I don't know exactly what they've been doing, but they seem to be conducting genetic experiments from some of the shipments I've tracked, I think they're trying to create some kind of super soldier. I don't have any proof, but I managed to find the location of one of their research base, I'm uploading the coordinated with this message. I've done all I can Shepard, they know I'm onto them, I think they still have people in the Alliance chain of command. This is probably the last you'll hear from me, please... It's up to you now."

Shepard blinked as the Kahoku's voice cut off, leaving a set of coordinates on her omni-tool. She quickly opened a comm link. "Pressly, I need you to get the ship ready, and get us to the Yangtze system."

" _Yes, Commander. I'll start recalling the crew."_  Pressly assured, presumably needing to get Wrex back on board.

Shepard quickly opened another link. "Kaidan, I need you to come to the medd bay. And since I'm not allowed on duty, bring alcohol." She paused at a disapproving cough from a desk across the room. "Fine. Make it coffee." She amended begrudgingly.

 _"Aye-Aye, Commander."_ Kaidan acknowledged.

* * *

" _About thirty seconds less than the last time you asked, Commander."_  Joker droned.  _"We're just entering the atmosphere, We'll be dropping the Mako in two minutes."_

The galaxy map spread out before her, as she stood on the platform assigned to the CO. Despite always seeming far too large for it's purpose, it was certainly easy to get lost watching the map slowly spin. After a night in the medbay, Shepard might have been discharged, but she wasn't cleared for anything more than light duty, and not being in the Mako with her team was proving to be taxing in its self. "Joker, how long till we're in the drop position?"

"Kaidan, you guys all set?"

 _"Yeah. W_ rex _could use a larger seatbelt, but we're good to go. Lets hope one of us can bring this thing back from a mission in one piece."_

"Drop in less than two minutes, Lieutenant." Shepard snapped.

_"Aye-aye, Commander."_

Shepard just leant on the railing, looking towards the cockpit as Joker started a countdown to the drop  _"Thirty Seconds... Five, four, three, two... Mako is away. Clean drop. Returning to orbit."_

Shepard sat down on the end of the ramp, reopening her link to the Mako. "You guys all okay down there?"

 _"Well, apart from the smooth landing, Commander, it's just like you're here."_  Ash chimed to a bark of laughter from Wrex.

"Just keep your head, you have a completely unknown enemy force down there."

_"Aye-Aye, Skipper, we'll bring you back something nice."_

Shepard cut the comm and started off towards the ship's drive core, at least she didn't need crutches. With a large number of the crew working in the CIC, the crew deck and cargo bay seemed unnaturally quiet. The engineering deck however proved much like the CIC, the crew were all working at their stations. Adams was monitoring the situation, could the Normandy come under attack. Shepard weaved her way through the crew members towards Tali, standing out from the crowd in her suit. "Tali, how are you doing down here?"

"Shepard!" Tali squeaked in surprise. "Er, what are you doing down here, I don't think I've ever seen you in here before?"

"I've never been on the ship while any of my team were on a mission before." Shepard sighed, leaning against a railing. "I hope you've settled in okay?"

"Yes. It's a marvellous ship, it's just... so quiet all the time."

Shepard looked around the rather crowded room. "Even now? We've got a complete staff running around keeping the ship primed."

"It's not just the number of people, although quarian ships are far more crowded. The ship runs so smoothly. If it's this quiet, something has gone wrong, an air filter, the circulation, heating. At the very least we have the constant drone of the ship's engines, but here... it's all so new," Tali explained, seemingly in awe.

"Must be a big contrast, with an entire race living aboard ships, it must be hard to find any space to yourself?"

"Unbelievably. We're all packed in, and yet all isolated from one another in our suits. And with the Flotilla constantly gaining new ships, clean rooms are becoming increasingly rare. We only have them on the ships we originally fled with, it's not effective to build them on those we salvage."

"Hang on, you still have ships from when you first left your home world? That's three hundred years ago. How are they still even running?" Shepard asked astonished.

"We're constantly refitting and repairing them, they certainly aren't pretty to look at, but they do the job. The Normandy's beautiful though, especially this drive core. It's amazing."

Shepard laughed, "I'm sure Adams has given you the full story of her, the drive core is defiantly his baby, not mine. So, if the fleet is always working to survive, why send quarians on the pilgrimage? It seems like sending you off into the galaxy, means less people to help maintain the fleet."

"We can't be self sufficient, there are things you just can't do on a ship. Things like hull plating and large ship components just can't be built, and we can't refine the materials. The pilgrimage we go through means we can get materials we can't produce. It's meant to prove to the flotilla, and our new captain, that we're valuable, not just a drain on our own resources."

"Still, seems a little... unusual to send anyone so young out into the galaxy alone, no one there to help them."

"It's not like that, we have training, and we're hardly forced to go. It's just tradition. If you'll excuse me Commander, I need to get back to the engine." Tali answered.

"I'll leave you to it." Shepard replied before she walked out the ship's drive core.

Ash she stepped through the door, she stared at the space in the cargo bay used to store the Mako, the only time she'd looked and hadn't seen it was after Therum. Unwilling to stand around looking at the reminder her team was on the planet without her, she stepped into the lift and went back up to the crew deck. Shepard went strait to her quarters after the elevator arrived at the crew deck and dropped onto her bed. Trying not to worry she closed her eyes just before the door chimed, lazily turning her head towards it, "Come in." she groaned before the door opened, revealing Liara standing in the doorway with her hands clasped together in front of her.

"Shepard, I-" Liara started quietly as she walked into the room, turning to stone as Shepard help up a hand.

Shepard lowered the hand back to the bed, pushing herself up to sit at the foot of it, not looking away from Liara. "I believe I asked you to call me Jane when it's just us."

Liara looked around slightly confused, trying to regain her composure. "Sorry, Jane. I think I've thought of something that might help make sense of the vision the beacon gave you." She paused as Shepard nodded at her. "You have the vision, and the cipher, but as far as I know, you have no knowledge of the protheans themselves. It is possible that by joining our minds, I could help you make sense of... whatever is in the vision."

"This isn't going to render me unconscious again is it?" Shepard asked, the colour draining from her face just at the thought of it.

"As far as I know, there are no ill effects of the meld on humans. What Shiala performed was considerably different to simply sharing thoughts or memories, in this case it would be the cipher, beacon and my knowledge of the protheans." Liara happily explained, clearly enjoying talking about her research.

"Okay, do you want to do it here, or did you have somewhere else in mind?" Shepard asked, glancing around the very empty room.

"I thought the medbay would be more suitable" Liara replied causing Shepard to sigh in relief, "I've never done a meld quite as strenuous as this one, or one on anyone other than an asari."

"Okay, medbay it is, and remember, I told you that I trust you." Shepard said, leading Liara out to the crew deck. The mess proved to be completely deserted, unsurprising given the time of day. The medbay probed equally empty with the exception of the doctor. "Hey Doc, seems you have me as a guest in your medbay once again."

"I'm thrilled Commander." Chakwas replied sarcastically without looking up from her terminal. "What can I do for the pair of you?"

"I'm attempting a meld with the Commander to try and make sense of the beacon." Liara offered shyly. "We felt it best to do it under your supervision, given my... lack of experience at melding."

"Okay, well I'll be right here dear should anything happen." Chakwas said gently reassuring Liara.

Shepard stepped in front of Liara, putting them both in the relative positions Shiala had taken with Shepard, looking at her eyes. "I'm ready when you are Liara."

Liara placed her hands on either side of Shepard's face, despite holding a hand being sufficient for a meld. Liara closed her eyes before she spoke "Embrace Eternity." Her eyes filled with black as she opened them. Giving them both a moment to adjust to the sensation of another person, Liara simply focused on shielding her own mind, fearing Shepard's reaction to some of her lines of thought, before she began looking for the vision the beacon forced on Jane.

They both recoiled slightly as the memory was uncovered, images becoming clear, metal tearing into flesh, life being extinguished on entire planets until the image of a giant ship reaching out towards them. The images appeared disjointed jumping from one image to the next until they found themselves just staring at each other once the vision ended. Liara gently prodded for the vision again, instead seeing Jeong appear as his pistol moved away from Shepard towards Liara. _Not Liara._  Her pistol raised, pointed directly at Jeong's head and fired.

Liara blinked as her eyes reverted back to her bright shade of blue before she collapsed forwards against Shepard. Shepard looked down at her concerned, "Liara, are you okay?"

Liara slowly lifted her self up from where she had collapsed against Shepard's chest, wavering on her feet. She gently nodded her head before she muttered "I'm sorry."

"Did you see anything useful?" Shepard asked, not willing to dwell on the memory Liara saw.

Liara gently shook her head, not looking up from the floor. "I don't think so, just... death... and that ship." she replied, shuddering slightly at the thought of it. "The vision, it was... it's not all there. The beacon must have been damaged when you used it, or it was destroyed before you received all of the information."

"Saren must have another beacon, or be looking for one then." Shepard deduced, "Still, with his last two attacks on colonies failing to some extent, he'll probably be more discrete the next time he goes after something."

Doctor Chakwas walked over to them as Liara stumbled back against a bed. "Liara, are you sure you're okay."

Liara simply nodded at both of the humans around her, "I'm fine, it was just incredibly tiring. Far more than I'm use to at least."

"Shepard, could you take her to her bed, just in the cupboard. She should rest for a bit." Chakwas asked as she helped Liara back to her feet.

Shepard put an arm around Liara, practically carrying her into the storage room as she slowly drifted off against Shepard.

* * *

"We found Kahoku, dead. It seems he was being fed to some of the creature they had." Garrus said, seemingly unaffected by the human's demise.

"It was practically a zoo in there, they had such a large number of cages and containers." Kaidan offered "I don't know what they were researching, but I didn't see a lot of equipment."

"Do I want to ask what sort of animals we're talking about?" Shepard asked the ground team. They'd finally gotten back to the Normandy after a lengthy period of time fighting there way through the base, and several hours of worrying for Shepard.

"Husks, they had quite a few of those thorian thrall... things, and some sort of large insect, although we none of us could recognize the species." Ash recalled.

"Great, so not only are they within the Alliance, but they have ties to Exogeni as well. Let's just hope these bugs are from Exogeni rather than another company." Shepard complained. "Please tell me you found some information about a headquarters, base or something.?"

"We found their main base of operations, or some ship records that should lead us to it at least." Kaidan replied happily.

"Okay, get the information to Pressly, he can have Joker set a course once we know where we're gong." Shepard ordered as she rose to her feet. "Take the night off, and make sure you're ready when we get there."

"Before you go, Shepard, do we have any leads on Saren?" Ash asked.

"No. Liara and I tried to make sense of the vision, but it seems it's incomplete," Shepard sighed before she walked out of the comm room. At least the mission had gone well without her. No one was seriously injured, but she hated that she hadn't been there with her team.

* * *

"The crap from those thralls just seems to get everywhere" Kaidan moaned as he sat down opposite Shepard in the mess.

"For the record Commander, you need to get real water showers installed." Ash insisted as she sat down next to the Commander, "The one thing I miss about Eden Prime."

"Not a problem, I'll just have to start charging you all room and board." Shepard quipped.

"On second thought, I'll pass," Ash groaned, starting on a rather large portion of food that probably matched Kaidan's biotic allotment.

"Guess it wasn't the easiest mission you've ever had?" Shepard asked, looking slightly worried.

"They just refused to give up ground. Only got worse once they started opening cages."

"I just hope Wrex found the showers after that thing exploded over him." Kaidan laughed. "Ship's going to stink otherwise."

"Worse than when he brought the dead varren on board?" Shepard asked, slightly worried. "Not sure the crew could survive it if he does, might have to start worrying about a mutiny."

"Only if you insist on driving the Mako rather than Kaidan, Commander" Ash jabbed.

"Did I mention I was assigning you to the Normandy repair team, Chief?" Shepard asked, grinning.

"Understood, Ma'am." Ash responded, sinking back towards her meal.

Wrex dropped what appeared to be a whole roast chicken onto the table, not bothering with a plate, before sitting down in front of it. "What are these two wimps whining about Shepard?"

"Er, the mission, and the amount fight Cerberus seems to have in them. Oh, and your smell" Shepard blurted before Ash and Kaidan looked round at her in shock She punctuated her point by holding her nose.

"Heh, they think that was bad. I spent three days trying to kill a single asari once." Wrex laughed. "At least they had more fight in them than the geth do."

"Hold on, it took you three days to kill one Asari." Kaidan asked, shocked. "To think, Wrex use to be soft."

"She was an old friend... sort of, we'd met about a century before. We'd both been given contracts for the same turian. Spent more time fighting her than I did trying to kill him, couldn't believe it when I found out it was her first job." Wrex laughed to himself as he paused. "Bumped into her a few times on the Citadel over the that century, never worked out why, she always seemed to hate that place."

Shepard looked at him puzzled. "So how did you end up taking a contract on her?"

"Well I wasn't going to just let the contract go because I knew her. She'd really pissed of that Volus, so he was offering a fortune for her. Didn't seem right just to walk up and shoot her, so I let her know I was coming, even let her choose where we fought it out. In the end she simply sent me the coordinated of an old space station, just used as a hideout by pirated and mercs, so no one even close to innocentsaround to get hurt. She always did have a soft spot." Wrex grinned to himself "I'd managed to exhaust my entire supply of clips by the end of the second day, had to kill a bunch of mercs and use theirs, they were stupid to have stuck around that long. By the end of the third day, the entire station was coming apart, the last of the mercs were dead or gone. Life support was failing, but I had her cornered in the medical facility, she was trying to patch herself up, tough bitch. I was about to go in as the station's core went critical, barely made it back to my ship before it blew."

"Safe to assume she didn't survive the station she was standing on blowing up," Ash ventured, not entirely certain.

"Thankfully, the first explosion didn't knock my sensors out. Then I just sat at a distance watching as it blew it's self apart. Once I was certain there was nothing left bigger than a turian's right nut, I went back to that Volus for the bounty. Half way there, I got a message from Aleena." Wrex laughed before trying to put on a high pitched impression of an asari, "Better luck next time!" Wrex just smiled, chuckling to himself.

"Leaving you with one very angry Volus."

"Nah, I told him the truth. Aleena was alive, and she was seriously pissed. If he wanted to stay alive, he needed me. He kept me on till he died, natural causes. Easiest contract I've ever had, but haven't seen Aleena since."

"Good story Wrex, but who knows, she could still be out there." Shepard said, smiling slightly at what had proved a slightly unexpected ending.

"I'm not looking for anything Shepard, she's long gone anyway." Wrex exhaled, growling in his throat. "Don't you all have work to do anyway?"

The three marines all looked at each other before quickly leaving the mess hall to the now annoyed krogan, eager to get further away from the smell.


	9. Hell Hound

"How's it going since Shepard grounded you?" Kaidan asked, sitting down with a cup of coffee. "Finding enough to keep yourself occupied?"

"Not too badly, could do with a little more to do around the ship, but I'm still trying to do everything I can to help with the mission." Liara replied eagerly. "I just wish she would let me come with everyone else."

"I'm sure she's just trying to do what's best, although Tali's still cleared for missions."

"Tali has military training though, Shepard knows that." Liara replied defensively.

"Tali's a civilian until she completes the pilgrimage, if I understood her correctly, and she's trained as a technical expert, not for front line combat." Kaidan pointed out.

Shepard stormed out of her quarters towards the medbay. "Kaidan, suit up. We hit dirt in less than ten minutes." She ordered before disappearing into the medbay.

Kaidan quickly got up from the table, abandoning his coffee, "See you later Liara" and disappeared towards the elevator.

* * *

Shepard stepped off the elevator into the cargo bay, struggling to attach the last plate of her armor to her thigh as she walked. "We all ready to go?" She asked, looking up at everyone gathered in the cargo bay.

"Ready to go." Ash managed before bursting into laughter, supporting herself on Kaidan.

"New armor Shepard?" Garrus asked while Liara and Wrex just looking at the two marines in confusion.

"Only way I could get Chakwas to clear me to go. Last thing I'm going to do is sit around while you're all down there again." Shepard moaned, looking down at the pink armor. "Why can't Sirta make red armor, red's medical. Pink's just... girly."

Ash just froze, looking at Shepard in her identical armor. "What's wrong with pink? It's not girly, it use to be considered masculine."

"Can we get moving?" Wrex grumbled, "I want to shoot something already."

"Fine" Shepard grumbled as she went over to her locker to retrieve her weapons, next to where Liara had perched herself watching the team assemble.

Liara looked down at Shepard curiously as she dug her shotgun out, "What's wrong with pink?"

Shepard just shrugged, not looking away from her locker. "If I'm shooting at someone, I want to look intimidating, so black and red are always my first choices. Although I do have a soft spot for blue on occasion."

" _Two minutes to drop, Commander."_  Joker announced over the comm.

"See you when we get back Liara." Shepard said walking off to the Mako as the rest of the group clambered in, not noticing Liara beaming at her as she swung her legs happily.

* * *

"Why can't we just charge down there and shoot them?" Wrex moaned from behind a large pile of dirt.

"Because, the three of us need to settle who the best shot is." Ash replied, pulling her sniper rifle over her shoulder while she looked for a somewhere to prop herself against the rocks they were all using for cover at the top of a valley.

"You mean you just can't admit it yet." Garrus laughed, before looking back to his rifle as Ash glared at him. "Looks like there's twelve down there, mostly soldiers, all human."

"Right, rules are simple, most kills wins. Losers buy the winner a drink each." Shepard stated as she joined Ash and Garrus behind their cover. "Not joining us Kaidan?"

"I'm not interested in making a fool of myself," Kaidan shrugged.

Shepard lent over the rock ledge, putting her crosshair over a soldier below them. "Ready?"

The two each side of her muttered in response before Shepard ordered to fire. Her own shot hit the gap in the soldier's armor at the throat, leaving them gasping for breath as blood began to fill their lungs. Ash's shot went strait through the helmet of a second soldier, as they dropped cleanly to the ground. Garrus's shot however, sailed past the head of a soldier, impacting a canister behind them, grabbing the soldier's attention.

"You missed, Garrus." Ash laughed as she moved to a second target that had started to scramble for cover.

Before anyone had time to fire a second shot the canister Garrus had hit erupted, engulfing a large group of soldiers in flames. Several more were killed as several canisters that had been beside the original ruptured. The two soldiers that were remaining on their feet panicked, running strait for the entrance below ground and into safety, only to be shot down as Ash and Shepard fired at them both.

Ash leant back, returning her rifle to her back as she looked at Garrus. "That was cheating, you didn't even hit one."

"Shepard said most kills wins, and I got the most kills." Garrus stated.

Wrex stepped up behind them, "Let's just finish this shall we, there's still a base full of them."

"Admit when you're beat Ash." Shepard laughed as she started down the side of the valley. "Let's go see what's waiting for us, shall we?"

The group approached the base cautiously, finding that us was unsurprisingly locked. Kaidan used several codes they had found raiding the lab to open the door, revealing an elevator leading below ground. Once the doors had sealed behind the team, they started a slow decent down into the depths of the base.

The car finally came to a halt, pausing for a second before the doors opened. Gunfire immediately lit up their shields before Kaidan and Wrex were able to throw barriers up just outside the doorway. The barriers quickly began to fail under the heavy fire of assault rifles from behind piles of containers being used as barricades within the base. Wrex charged into the soldiers, scattering bodies and containers as he smashed through the improvised defences. Shepard, Ash and Garrus's assault rifles fired from the elevator, quickly dispatching any of the soldiers remaining on their feet.

As their guns fell silent, they noticed an alarm blaring from within the facility. Shepard started towards a door at the far end of the room. "We need to move, see what's here. They could already be deleting data."

Everyone but Wrex followed, while he remained there kicking the bodies on the ground, firing his shotgun into any of the ambushers that had survived. Finding the rest of the base deserted, only with piles of containers in corners of rooms and a few basic amenities. As they all entered a small back room an alert flashed up across the HI of a computer terminal, followed by "Clearing local storage".

Shepard darted over to the terminal, transferring files to a OSD as fast as possible. Garrus stopped next to her as she rapidly worked the terminal. "Rest of the base is clear, no sign anyone else was here."

"Good, we'll head back to the Normandy as soon as- Ah Crap, it wiped practically everything." Shepard exclaimed, removing the OSD from the terminal and pocketing it. "Let's go. I don't think that will be the last we'll see of these guys."

* * *

"Joker! Set a course to the Citadel." Shepard ordered as she stepped out of the Mako into the cargo bay.

" _Aye-Aye Commander, course set."_

Shepard went back to her quarters, passing Liara and Tali in the mess hall, to change back into her uniform. Cleanly dressed, Shepard collapsed on her bed looking up at the ceiling, smiling to herself as she pictured Liara smiling at her as she had walked past.  _'h god,_ Shepard thought burying her head into a pillow. Twenty-nine, and here she was about as rational as a teenager. Shepard groaned in frustration as she got up from the bed, throwing the pillow against the wall as she walked back towards the cargo bay.

Liara smiled at Shepard as she left her room, heading towards the elevator and stairs, but Shepard didn't seem to notice. Liara looked at Tali struggling with a straw and a filter. "I don't get how such a short-lived, emotional species, can be so..." Liara buried her head in her hands sighing.

Tali gave up with the straw, "Well, in the vids, humans always seem to have a... what do they call it... a eureka moment."

"And when does that happen?" Liara mumbled as she collapsed against the table.

"Usually right before the other person boards a shuttle." Tali sighed, rubbing her hands together feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Tell me that's  _not_  how it always goes for humans."

"Er... I think Adams needs me in engineering." Tali said quickly before running off towards the drive core.

"Thanks for trying to help Tali." Liara sighed to the table before dragging herself off towards the medbay.

Shepard stepped off the elevator into the cargo bay and headed strait for the pair of legs sticking out from beneath the Mako. Garrus pushed himself out from under the vehicle, looking up at Shepard after she sat down in the open door to the Mako, upside down in his field of vision. "Something I can do for you Shepard?"

Shepard sighed before she looked at Garrus. "Anyone special waiting back home, or on the Citadel, Garrus?"

Garrus's mandibles flapped in what Shepard could only assume was a smirk. "Sorry Shepard, you're not my type, or species of choice."

He quickly pulled himself back under the Mako before Shepard gave him a gentle kick to the side. "Not what I was asking, you stupid chicken." Shepard half laughed before pushing Garrus back out from under the Mako with a foot. "What do you think of relationships between members of a crew?"

"I think the considerable lack of space can prove to be a problem if things don't go as you might hope." Garrus started, not looking away from the Mako. "I assume you're referring to our little prothean expert?"

Shepard just stared at him blankly for a second. "What... What makes you say that?"

Garrus only grinned, "Most of the crew's been discussing your... interests lately. After Tali found out word spread through the crew rather quickly."

"Remind me to have a word with her about gossiping, but not a huge amount of helpful advice so far Garrus." Shepard sighed.

"Ah, so you're putting the constantly single turian on the spot for relationship advice, makes sense." Garrus laughed. "All I can really do is say that turian regulations offer the crew far more... freedom with how they handle things than the Alliance appears to."

"So... what would you do?"

"I would be upstairs, rather than in the cargo bay with the spiky monster covered in grease." Garrus stated.

Shepard stood up, looking down at the turian, "Thanks for the advice Garrus." She pushed him back under the Mako, causing a loud bang, and started for the elevator.

"Ouch! Next time, how about you don't hit my head on the drive shaft." Garrus shouted before he paused waiting for a reply. "Shepard?... Shepard?"

* * *

Liara looked up as she heard a knock at the door, "Come in." The door slid open, revealing Shepard, looking quite serious. Liara quickly turned off the monitor on the terminal she had been using before getting up to her feet as Shepard stepped into the room. "Hi, Jane, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to check in with you, see how you are."

"Er, I'm fine, I finished going through the last of the reports you had from Eden Prime." Liara said, while offering Shepard a seat.

"No thanks. I was a little more interested in talking about you." Shepard replied as she lent back against the wall.

"If you want to know about Asari, I'm sure I can send you some extranet-" Liara paused as Shepard put a hand up to stop Liara.

"You personally."

"Er, I assure you, I'm really not that interesting Commander." Liara said shyly.

"I just like to know my crew. I know Ash's grandfather was a general in the First Contact War, Tali's father is an admiral in the Flotilla, Garrus was considered for spectre training when he first joined the military and Wrex had the hots for an asari commando at some point in time, although I suspect there was more than one given his life span. Doesn't have to be very interesting."

"Erm... Well... You know Benezia is my mother, she raised me by herself on Thessia."

"Your father wasn't around to help?" Shepard asked curiously, but regretted the question instantly, fearing that it might be a sensitive subject.

"I... don't remember anything about my father, If you want to use the term. I just know that they were another Asari." Liara replied, appearing a little sad.

"Wait, another asari? Does that mean you can... erm... reproduce with another species?" Shepard asked, feeling slightly awkward.

"We are capable of reproducing with any member of any species, provided they are a sentient species with a sufficiently complex nervous system. While, it would be inaccurate to refer to it as mating, we can perform a union without specific physical contact, although we do require skin contact to meld." Liara sat down in the chair, relaxing a little as she continued to talk. "The meld gives us the ability to touch the very depths of their minds, and allow them to do the same. We can even explore their genetic memory, explore their race's identity."

"Er, the meld I was in with you and Shiala. They aren't the same as..." Shepard gulped, suddenly looking rather worried.

Liara just looked at her puzzled until she twigged. "No! No no no no no." Liara said quickly, "That was a very different meld, the... the depth of the meld was-"

"Relax Liara, you just had me a little worried." She offered, trying to reassure Liara.

"Of course, I guess I'm just not use to performing melds with others that aren't asari." Liara said quietly. "I forgot that you don't have the same sort of understanding."

"Do asari meld with each other a lot?" Shepard asked.

"It's common between friends, it's an easy way to share ideas, thoughts, memories. Although I've never..." Liara began to blush, rubbing the side of her neck as he face turned a dark shade of blue.

"Relax Liara, I know what you mean. I think we were talking about your father before this tangent, Benezia never told you about him- er, her?"

Liara sighed, grateful for the change of topic. "She left my mother when I was very young, but I was never told me anything about her." Liara screwed her face up before continuing. "I'm what's known as a pure blood... Although no one would be cruel enough to ever say it to my face. Since our species made contact with other species, a stigma has developed against having children with other asari, it's considered detrimental to our species. Asari inherit racial traits from the father species, if that is another asari nothing is gained, or so wisdom would hold." Liara paused, taking a deep breath as a tear down a cheek, looking at the floor. "It's possible she was simply ashamed of-"

"Whoa, don't think that." Shepard interrupted. "No one could be ashamed of you. For all you know, something happened to her that was too painful for Benezia to talk about."

"You might be right." Liara smiled, wiping her cheeks dry. "Thank you, Jane."

"Right, If you're okay, I'm going to get back to work before I bring another uncomfortable subject up." Shepard laughed.

"Of course, I'm just glad to be the more eloquent one for a change." Liara teased.

Shepard just nodded before she walked back into the medbay, exhaling with relief as the door closed behind her, before banging her forehead on the wall in frustration.

"That's not good for the wall, Shepard." Chakwas chimed from her desk.

"Thanks for the advice, Doc." Shepard said weakly.

"Finally catching on Shepard?"

"Yeah, and I'm getting the impression that I'm the last person on this ship to." Shepard said to the wall before starting out the medbay. "We should be arriving at the Citadel late tonight if you need any supplies Doc."

 _"Shepard, I have an incoming transmission for you, you're going to want to take this one."_ Joker said over the comm.  _"Oh, and Tali would like to speak to you when you have a moment."_

"I'll come up to the comm room, Tali can meet me there." Shepard replied, regaining her composure as she walked to the comm room.

The lights bathed the room in light as she stepped in, walking to the terminal. "Put them through Joker."

 _"Ah, Commander Shepard. It's good to finally get the opportunity to talk to you."_  A smug voice said through the comm system, not projecting a hologram from the terminal.

"Who am I speaking to, it'd only be polite to speak to me face to face." Shepard said as calmly and authoritatively as she could.

_"I'm sorry Commander, but I'm afraid that's not possible, I have been instructed to keep my personal identity hidden from you for the time being. Suffice to say that I am an agent for the Shadow Broker. Admiral Kahoku contacted my employer looking for information about any and all information we had regarding Cerberus. We provided what limited information we had on the promise that he would turn over a copy of all information he was able to obtain on Cerberus actions and facilities to us."_

"Any information that I might or might not have obtained on Cerberus would be the property of the Alliance." Shepard stated, crossing her arms to posture herself, despite the call being audio only. "Besides, your deal was with the admiral, not me."

 _"Don't be a fool Commander, we are willing to significantly reward you for your efforts. The Alliance will just file this information away somewhere, where it will eventually make it's way into our hands," t_ he agent argued.

"I'm loyal to the alliance, not the Shadow Broker."

_"Don't be a fool Commander, if you refuse this, don't expect the Shadow Broker to be generous should you need a favour."_

Shepard grinned as she stepped up to the console, "Take a hint. No!" before she cut the channel. As she turned to leave, she saw Tali entering the comm room. "Hi Tali, you wanted to speak to me about something?"

"Yes, I've been looking over the data you managed to recover from Cerberus." Tali said, seeming a little less bubbly than normal.

"Find anything interesting?"

"I'm not sure 'interesting' is the right word. Unfortunately, the data was largely incomplete, but I did get their records of ships, and some communications logs. They received and sent shipments to a lot more sites than the one we raided."

"Couldn't they just be companies shipping them those creatures to study?"

"If the site was only receiving shipments yes, but the logs show them sending shipments. I think we only raided a supply depot Shepard, and we have no way to work out where the rest of their facilities are, none of the origins or destinations are here." Tali stated growing annoyed.

"So... we have no way to follow this up." Shepard sighed in disappointment. "We'll just have to forward the information to the Alliance, see what they can do with it. Thank you Tali." Shepard did her best to smile at the quarian as they both left the comm room, despite the day going from bad to worse since she'd tried to talk to Liara.

* * *

Shepard had disembarked the Normandy before most of the crew were even awake. The Normandy had docked late in the night, unfortunately giving every reporter chance to find out the Normandy had docked. Shepard had slipped through the C-Sec academy again to avoid that had decided to camp out in the transport hub. The market Shepard had chosen seemed packed despite the early hour, although a large majority of the shop workers and customers appeared to be salarians.

"Shepard!" a blond man shouted from the other side of several stalls on the market, the slightly obsessive fan that had been around after her Spectre promotion. What soldier had fans?

Shepard tried to ignore him, moving into a crowd in the market, only to find herself face to face with him. "Conrad, it's... good to see you again."

"Shepard, I've been hoping to see you again too." He said happily.

Shepard continued walked between stalls, not willing to give him her full attention out of fear of reaching the limit of what she could put up with. "What can I do for you Conrad, I assume you'd like something?"

"Well, I've been thinking. I saw the news reports on what happened on Feros, another geth attack, and there those rumours of an attack at the mining colony on Therum and in the Armstrong Nebula. With so many, I'm not sure that one human spectre is enough."

"Armstrong Nebula? There hasn't been an attack there." Shepard queried.

"There's rumours popping up all over the extranet, but the Alliance hasn't made a statement about it yet. If they aren't stopping it yet, they could use more spectres." Conrad insisted.

"Conrad, the Alliance has a military, fleets. This fight is theirs. If you want to help, help back home, encourage people to support the Alliance, be with your family. Give the Alliance something to fight to protect."

"I... I guess you're right. I just got swept up in everything, you're such an inspiration to everyone." Conrad looked almost giddy with excitement. "At least now I can tell everyone that Shepard is fighting for them, the human spectre is fighting for them."

"Goodbye Conrad." Shepard asserted, forcing her way back into a crowd in the middle of the market and towards a weapons merchant.

After several hours, and several purchases, Shepard had ended up back on the Presidium with a long awaited good cup of coffee. Most of what she'd bought had been sent back to the Normandy, with the only exception being for the turian approaching the table. "Happy birthday, Garrus."

Garrus just looked at her confused, "It's not my birthday, Shepard."

"Whatever, what do you want to drink?" Shepard asked.

"I'm fine thanks, I just had breakfast. So what did you want to speak to me for?" Garrus asked, sitting down opposite Shepard.

"Well, I did want to wish you happy birthday and give you this." Shepard stated, placing a wrapped parcel on the table. "But, since I don't know when you're birthday is..."

"Er, twenty-seven years ago, we don't celebrate it annually like humans or salarians." Garrus couldn't help but look at the box with increasing curiosity. "So, what's in the box?"

"Well, it was a birthday present, but... since you don't celebrate them..." Shepard teased.

"Hang on Shepard, I was under the impression that humans considered it bad manners to purchase a gift, only to keep it for yourself." Garrus offered.

"Well, it's probably best I give you it anyway, you might hit your next target next time." Shepard said sarcastically.

Garrus sliced through the wrapping with a talon, before pulling a scope out of the packaging, looking at Shepard with a frown. "You know I meant to shoot that fuel canister."

"Of course you did Garrus." Shepard laughed.

Garrus just flapped his mandibles in a way Shepard could only assume was comparable to rolling his eyes from the laziness in them, "Thank you ever so much Shepard." before he laughed lightly. "So how did your chat with Doctor T'Soni go?" Shepard turned a shade of bright red, quickly drinking from her coffee. "Shepard..."

Shepard put the cup back down as she drained the last of it, out of an excuse not to answer. "I ended up getting a lesson on asari mating practices."

"Erm, not how I normally go about trying to tell a woman how I feel Shepard, but each to their own." Garrus laughed.

"Not exactly how I meant it to go, we got distracted while talking about her family, and we just sort of kept going back to it." Shepard couldn't help but laugh a little at the absurdity of how the conversation went. "I tried changing the topic, but I think I actually made things a worse."

Garrus just shook his head at her. "You don't strike me as the type to just give up, Shepard, otherwise it's a rather safe bet the Council wouldn't be sending you to stop a rogue spectre."

"Well, I could hardly press it after that, couldn't have asked for a worse atmosphere. Liara thinks she manages to say the wrong thing, you might as well crown me queen of saying the worst bloody thing." Shepard said awkwardly.

"Queen, I've been thinking you were male all this time." Garrus gasped, flapping his mandibles feigning surprise.

"Very funny Garrus, humans can tell male and female turians apart, It's the individuals some of us struggle with." Shepard sighed before her omni tool beeped at her. She checked the name before looking back to Garrus. "I need to take this Garrus, it's Admiral Hackett."

Garrus just nodded as Shepard accepted the call.

"Admiral, good to hear from you again, but I am currently in a café on the citadel." Shepard said to the image of the admiral hovering over her arm.

_"Understood Commander. I'm sending some information to your pilot, we need your help with this, Shepard."_

"Yes sir, I'll see what I can do." Shepard replied before looking back at Garrus. "Sounds like I'm going to be recalling the crew a little early."

* * *

"What have we got Joker?" Shepard didn't even wait for the airlock to seal behind her and Garrus before she took command.

"From the looks of it, Saren's ordered an all out invasion of the Armstrong Nebula. We've got a few outposts there, mining operations, the usual. Seems a frigate stumbled onto a staging ground the geth set up. A research facility went silent just before Admiral Hackett contacted you, guess we know why he was desperate enough to call a spectre."

"This doesn't make sense, Saren's after the conduit. Why would he get ready to attack us before he's found it. If this escalates this to all out war, he'll have the entire Citadel fleet to contend with." Shepard observed in disbelief.

"Well, he does have that reaper ship we saw on Eden Prime, got to be packing some fire-power." Joker shrugged.

"Or he wants us to go after that staging ground. I said he'd be more discrete with his tactics, it's a distraction."

"Right... so... what do we do?" Joker asked looking utterly lost.

"We take the bait. Recall the crew, and get us to the Armstrong Nebula as fast as you can Joker." Shepard ordered starting off towards the comm room. "And get me a comm line to Admiral Hackett."

Shepard just found herself pacing across the comm room. She'd already spoken to Tali after she had got back to the Normandy, which had departed the citadel just after the last crew member was on board. Hackett had been tied up in one conversation or another for the last half hour until a hologram finally appeared.

"Shepard, sorry for the delay, but I'm sure you can imagine things have been rather hectic." Hackett apologized. "This threat has got the Prime Minister rather worked up, not to mention the Chain of Command. The Fifth fleet is preparing to strike before we lose any more ground."

"We have a plan that would avoid this resulting in a major battle, the fleet would only need a couple of squadrons for clean-up." Shepard offered.

"We just hoped you'd lead our assault to reclaim one of the colonies, publicity stunt, but... I'll need details if you want me to suggest anything to the Admirals, Commander."

"Erm, actually sir, I want you to delay them. We just passed through the relay to the Attican Beta cluster, half an hour ahead of your fleet, and this is the fastest ship in the Alliance. We just need a bit more time once we get there. If we do this right, no one will know we were there." Shepard pleaded.

"Why exactly do I want to agree to this Shepard?" The Admiral asked looking a little annoyed.

"We've heard of the rumours already floating around on the extranet. So far there the geth have launched two attacks on colonies that were successfully repelled, even if the casualties were unacceptable. If this ends up an all out war, the press would have a field day, and the Alliance's reputation for defending it's colonies would be destroyed." Shepard explained, trying desperately to convince the Admiral. "Not to mention that Saren will be able to go after any colony or facility for the information he needs to find the conduit, and we'll have no way to tell."

"You make a fair point Commander," He conceded, "but what makes you so certain you can take care of this, they have a huge ground force, and a fleet down there."

"I have a geth expert on board, and a ship they can't detect. We have a plan, but I'd rather give you as much plausibility dependability as I can, Sir." Shepard smiled, glad the admiral appeared to be agreeing. "Spectre operations are classified after all."

Hackett laughed, "You pulling rank on me, Commander? You'll get your time, but you owe me a favour."

"Appreciate it Sir." Shepard nodded.

"Hackett out."


	10. All's Fair

Notanban hung in the sky over them, the large blue orb the only source of light on Solcrum, the planets largest moon. The large star however, pushed the surface temperature to well over two-hundred degrees Celsius, well beyond what their suits could compensate for, even in the planets shadow. The Normandy was positioned in a valley out of sight of the geth base, which had required some impressive low altitude flying from Joker to get there undetected. Most of the team were sat in the open cargo bay, in case a geth patrol stumbled across the Normandy while Shepard, Garrus and Tali waved their way towards the geth base, trying to make the most of the barren moon's terrain to avoid detection.

As they neared the perimeter, a large wall came into view between them and their goal. Three geth drop ships were visible from their position, although scans had shown four more on the opposite side of the base. These three however appeared to already be loaded with munitions and geth platforms, leaving only perimeter patrols in the area. After hiding the Mako at the base of a rock face, out of view of the geth camp, Shepard and Garrus turned to face Tali in the back of the vehicle.

"Did you see enough to find us a way into there?" She asked, picking her breather helmet up from the rack.

"I think so, it looked like there was an access point for patrols. If we can get past the units guarding it, we should be able to slip inside without any geth spotting us." Tali chirped. "Then, we need to get on board a ship as fast as we can before our suits fail."

"Nothing like a time limit to make things fun." Garrus smirked, sealing his helmet.

"For the record, I've only got about three and a half minutes out there." Shepard said pulling a large bag onto her back and moving towards the door.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to my sidekick," Garrus laughed following Shepard out onto the surface with his own bag.

The three quickly moved towards the end of the rock face, putting them just out of view of two geth standing guard at the gateway.

"Any suggestions on how to get past them without alerting the entire camp?" Shepard asked the two behind her.

"We could take them both out with a sniper shot each." Garrus offered pulling his rifle out.

"Their consensus would notice them going silent immediately, I can hack the two units and give us enough time to get past them." Tali countered to a nod of approval from Shepard. "Just give me a few minutes, normally I destabilise their power core to prevent them keeping me out, but they would detect that too."

Shepard and Garrus sat back against the rock, keeping watch to ensure no one spotted them while Tali worked. Shepard couldn't help but watch the temperature warning on her HUD slowly rise, getting worried as it approached one-hundred and fifty degrees. "Tali, we need to go now, or I need to get back to the Mako." Sweat was running down her forehead, unable to wipe it away from her eyes in the helmet.

"I got it Commander." Tali shouted in glee.

Garrus just poked his head out to look at the two geth. "They aren't doing anything... they're just standing there." he observed, his voice full of concern.

"They're playing back the last ten minutes of sensor data, as long as we don't touch them they won't know we're there." Tali said, slowly moving out from behind the rocky edge.

Shepard practically leapt out of cover, making her break towards the fortifications and cool air. "Pick up the pace, we need to get out of this heat."

The three of them rushed through the wall towards the nearest geth frigate. Thankfully the geth didn't notice them as they passed between the two units. Moving quickly, but as quietly as they could, they covered the hundred metres between the wall and the closest ship to fall into cover against the hull. As Tali reached it, she dropped to the ground, rolling a few metres beneath the hull before coming to a stop and looking up at the solid metal above her.

Shepard looked down below the ship at Tali, "We need a way in, before I fry in this thing." her eyes narrowed at the lack of a visible entrance. "Please tell me we have a way in Tali."

Tali just looked at her omni took as she shuffled about beneath the ship. "Come on you little Bosh'tet-"

"Tali, hurry." Shepard pleaded.

"Got it." Tali shouted gleefully as a hatch appeared in the hull of the ship, opening up to allow them access.

Shepard quickly followed Tali up through the short shaft into the hull, unable to see anything as the light reflected from the planet disappeared, leaving her sitting in darkness as Garrus climbed up somewhere behind her. Tali taped at her omni tool to close the hatch before turning on a torch and running it around the floor, looking for Shepard. Garrus followed Tali's lead, turning on his torch, before finding Shepard collapsed against the floor, struggling to reach for her helmet's seal.

Tali glanced over to where Garru's torch had stopped. "Wouldn't do that if I were you Shepard. There's no reason for the geth to maintain an atmosphere for any reason other than climate control, looks like it's almost pure nitrogen." she chirped quickly, before Shepard's arms fell to the ground beside her.

"Just give me a few minutes for this suit to cool down." Shepard gasped, struggling to breath the heated air in her suit. "Make sure this room's secure, where are we anyway?"

Garrus's light passed over a geth unit, causing him to jump back, and the light move up to the inactive light on the head. Tali looked over to investigate the sudden noise. "Every platform on this ship should be inactive, the geth will all have uploaded into the ship."

"Wait, the geth can upload themselves? I though AI were integrated into a single quantum blue box." Garrus asked as his light passed over more geth, all stacked against the walls of the ship.

"No, the geth aren't true AI, they are only software. They can upload and transfer themselves between anything with sufficient processing power. At the minute, they're all in the ship since they are at their most effective in large numbers." Tali explained.

Shepard pushed herself to her feet, her suit finally having cooled down. "So, where exactly are we Tali?"

"The geth store their platforms somewhere, that hatch is how they deploy onto a planet, since they can survive long drops without damage. There's three more of these rooms on this ship, all on this deck, it lets them quickly download and then deploy."

"Makes sense they build their ships around their platform's abilities. So which way to the drive core?" Shepard asked, turning her own torch on.

Tali lit a doorway up beside the group, "Through there, we should be able to get to the drive core without alerting the geth." Tali walked over to the door lighting up her omni again and quickly hacked her way through the lock.

Shepard was the first through, heading quickly towards the drive core. Garrus kept pace with her, both scanning the passages they walked past. Tali kept pace behind them, shouting directions. After hacking through several more doors, the hum and pulse of a eezo core became audible. Hacking through the last door into the engine room, the glow of the eezo core gently lighting the room up.

Shepard looked round at Tali as she pulled the bag off her back. "I was expecting a few active units in here at least."

"The ship's ground side, and not in combat, so they'll do everything they can to saving power. My ancestors designed the geth to be an efficient work force, not something they'll ever change." Tali shrugged. "We should get these charges on the supports around the drive core. I'll start on accessing their database."

Shepard and Garrus quickly covered the ground to the core, pulling charges out of their backs, attaching them onto reachable supports. As Shepard strapped her last explosive onto what appeared to be a power conduit, she pulled a detonator out of her bag, slipping it into a pouch before throwing the bag to a side. "We good to go Garrus?"

Garrus jumped down off a console he had been standing on, grinning at them. "Not usually a fan for explosions, but this should put on a show."

"We should get moving before the geth have time to detect my hacks." Tali said urgently from the behind them as she closed down the terminal she had been using.

Half way across the room, Tali froze causing the other two to look back to investigate the loss of her footsteps, seeing her with her omni-tool still lit up. "We've got units activating to investigate the doors opening, every exit we can use is going to be full of them."

Shepard grabbed Tali's hand, pulling her on towards the hatch they had used to enter the ship, as her other hand pulled the shotgun off her back. As they approached the door tot he drop room, a single geth came into view working to secure the hacked controls. Shepard put a single blast of shrapnel into the head of geth before at least half a dozen lights turned to face them from inside the room. "Think they know we're here." she shouted, throwing several grenades into the room. Tali quickly hit several controls on her omni, sealing the door. A single loud series of chips came from the other side of the door before a loud explosion seemed to echo through the heavy metal, leaving silence. As the door opened a single, almost intact, platform fell though with it's light flickering as they stepped over it.

The three stood around the hatch in the floor, waiting for Tali to hack the lock again. Shepard couldn't help but keep looking around at the inactive geth platforms around them. Once Tali had opened the hatch, Garrus looked over to Shepard opposite him. "What is it you humans say... ladies first?"

Shepard dropped to the ground, instantly finding shots landing around her, with several flaring her shield as she landed. She quickly rolled tot he side before pulling out her assault rifle and fired back in the direction the shots had come from. Garrus landed beside her, closely followed by Tali as the intensity of the fire increased, pinning them under the ship as the doorway above them sealed it's self. Garrus landed a shot into the optics of a prime unit before he looked over to Tali, "Since they know we're here already, can you hack a few of them?"

"Their shields are blocking my signal, I can't get in. The best I can do it try to slow down their processes, put some random junk into their network."

Shepard frowned, looking for some cover, "Do as much as you can." With no available cover around them, she rolled to the edge of the ship. She quickly jumped to her feet, sprinting towards a geth prime that was still aiming for Tali and Garrus. As she managed to gain some momentum a large cluster of fire hit where she had just been laying just out of the hull. Shepard started firing rapidly at the large number of geth in front of her as she continued to charge, still not targeting her, quickly dropping their shield. Reacting quickly, Tali managed to hack several of the platforms as the shields failed, causing them to started to firing on the others around them as their shield returned. Leaving the cluster of geth to their infighting, Shepard jumped to the side at the noise of a rocket firing from behind her. She landed, going into a roll, as a rocket hit the grown where she had been standing sending shrapnel over her head and into her shields.

Tali continued watching her omni, waiting for more of the shields to stop. She looked as she heard an explosion to see Shepard land on the ground with her assault rifle out of each. Tali could only watch as the geth started towards the commander, raising their assault rifles to fire. A single shot went past her, hitting the geth with the rocket launcher in the chest, dropping it's shields, leaving the unit in tact. Shepard quickly hacked the geth, rounding the rocket launcher on another prime standing in the middle of the group. The rocket landed in its chest, blasting the platform apart, as well as the units around it. The other geth looked around at each other in confusion as Tali ran out from under the ship. Garrus continued to fire, hitting the geth in their optics. As Tali neared the geth, she fire her shotgun at each of the remaining platforms, leaving as many as she could inactive, until her weapon whined in protest.

With the exit in the wall now left open, more geth closed in from around the camp. Garrus quickly ran out from beneath the ship towards Tali and Shepard, who was struggling to keep up in the extreme heat. Supporting Shepard, the three of them quickly heading back tot he Mako, while Garrus and Tali fired randomly behind them. Shepard climbed in first, collapsing on the rear seats her skin matching her hair from the heat in her suit. Tali quickly climbed into the driver's seat, bringing the Mako to life, while Garrus sealed the door before he climbed into the gunner's seat. Once the Mako had pressurized, Shepard tore her helmet off, gasping for cool air while Garrus fired several large slugs from the mass driver cannon towards the geth that had pursued them out of the camp.

As they weren't worrying about not being seen by the geth, Tali drove in a direct line for the Normandy, bouncing about over the terrain, until they were safely in the Normandy's Cargo bay.

Shepard clambered to her feet, her voice raspy as she spoke into the comm. "Get us out of here Joker."

" _Aye-Aye Commander."_  Joker replied as he lifted the Normandy off towards orbit.

Shepard stumbled out of the Mako, still bright red. Garrus caught her before she could collapse onto the floor. "We're getting you up to the medbay."

Shepard just put an arm around him while she slipped the detonator out of its pouch before pressing her thumb down on the button as the large form of Wrex approached them.

Joker made the Normandy climb rapidly, banking to dodge shots being fired at them with the Normandy's heat sinks needing to discharge. Two of the geth frigates powered up their engines, before they slowly lifted off from the planet's surface, until one seemed to slow before it was consumed by explosions across the hull. The ruined ship fell back towards the ground before the Eezo core erupted, sending waved of dark energy out from the ship. The remaining frigate, still heading towards them, appeared to slowed it's ascent as the energy passed over them before it's core detonated, ripping the ship apart with a single explosion. The Normandy continued towards orbit and safety, leaving the wrecked ship to fall back to the moon's surface.

* * *

Liara stepped into the medbay after hearing heavy footsteps that could only belong to Wrex next door. She found the krogan filling the space by the beds, holding a body clad in armor, a new set of black and red armor Shepard had bought on the Citadel. Wrex dropped the limp body rather roughly onto the bed before he turned to Doctor Chakwas. "She'd better be okay."

"She'll be fine Wrex, I assure you. You've seen how tough she is." Chakwas asserted, "Now, can you please get out of my medbay and let me work."

Wrex just huffed as he walked past the doctor and out of the medbay. Chakwas glanced over to Liara before she started running around her medbay.

With Shepard's armor discarded to the next bed, and the Commander wrapped in with a sheet while the bed and a drip carried out the treatment, Doctor Chakwas had disappeared from Liara's attention as she continued to watch the sleeping commander, at least until a voice from somewhere beside her made her jump.

"She'll be fine dear. It's just a fairly nasty case of heat exhaustion."

Liara nodded to the doctor now at her desk, before she continued to stare at the bed.

After Liara didn't answer her she walked over to the asari. "Are you okay dear. Is there anything you need?"

"If it's possible, could I have a few minutes alone to speak to her?" Liara asked quietly.

"Of course, but she is asleep at the minute. The bed's programmed for her care, I'll be in the mess hall until you're finished." Chakwas replied politely. "I can monitor her from there."

"Thank you Doctor." Liara smiled.

As Doctor Chakwas walked out of the medbay, leaving Liara to pull a chair over to besides Shepard's bed before she perched herself on the edge. She forced herself to look up at the commander's closed eyes, listening to the hollow breaths in the oxygen mask covering the Commander's mouth and nose. Overwhelmed as she felt tears threatening to break free, she shifted her gaze, staring at the foot of the bed in silence. Liara sat there chewing on her bottom lip, listening to Shepard breathing as her thoughts steadily wound themselves into knots, forcing the young asari to try to voice them, to try to make sense of them.

"Why am I putting myself through this Shepard? You're a soldier, I'm just and archaeologist. There's now way we could possibly work, and you just keep landing yourself in this medbay. We have nothing in common. We're not even the same species. I know the crew has been insisting that you have feeling for me and I want to believe them, but part some small rational part of me is refusing. I..." Liara sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes and cheeks on the back of her sleeve, "I saw why you shot that man, but... I can't help but question it, am I just fooling myself, do I really want to know you shot him because of me?" Liara paused again, trying to find anything in her head to put into words. "I can't even manage to say any of this to you while you're awake, I'm just sat here, talking to your unconscious body... I read about what you did on Elysium, the Alliances N7 program, even how you ended up becoming a spectre. You have to be the most recognisable soldier in the Alliance. I'm barely even noticed by any of my colleagues, there isn't anyone outside of this ship that I could call a friend... why would you even notice me?"

"I do notice you." Shepard wheezed as she reached up to pull the mask off. "I haven't been able to stop noticing you."

Liara squeaked in surprise as she looked up to see a pair of bright green eyes staring at her as she felt heat spreading across her cheeks. "How... how long have you been awake?"

"Well, the first thing I remember seeing if you sitting there, chewing on your bottom lip, looking adorable." Shepard smiled at the blushing asari.

Liara could feel the heat spreading across the rest of her face and neck, forcing her to look away from Shepard in embarrassment.

"Do you wish you hadn't said any of that?" Shepard asked, unable to find Liara blushing anything but cute.

Liara went back to chewing on her lip before she replied. "No, but... why didn't you stop me?"

"One of us needed to say something sooner or later, and you looked like something was going to drive you mad." Shepard offered smiling softly at her.

"Well, if someone could stop landing themselves in the medbay, I wouldn't have so much to worry about." Liara replied, giving Shepard a rather unamused look. "Just promise me you aren't going to do anything to put yourself in here again, please."

"No promises, but I have no intention of spending any more time in here than I have to, although it's far more interesting in here today than it is normally." Shepard laughed lightly, giving the asari a cheeky grin. "So what did you have in mind for us from now onwards?"

"Well, I hadn't planned on saying that, or on you hearing it. To be honest, I'd been waiting for you to do something since I had no idea how you felt. Ashley thought you were probably feeling rather conflicted, alliance regulations, and me being on your ship. Plus, you never seemed to notice me, and I was afraid you'd just turn me away if-"

"Liara."

She stopped dead as Shepard firmly spoke her name, once again looking back to her green eyes. "Yes, Shepard."

"You're rambling, and you are going to have to start calling me Jane when it's just us." Shepard laughed, trying to get Liara to calm down. "How about I take you out to lunch the next time we're docked at the Citadel, my treat?"

Liara looked at Jane for a moment before she moved to answer, unfortunately, Joker beat her to it.  _"Commander, I have Admiral Hackett on the line for you, if you can speak to him."_

"God damn it." Shepard muttered under her breath, before giving Liara and apologetic look. "You have the worst timing in the galaxy Joker."

" _Sorry Ma'am, Doctor Chakwas just informed me you were awake when I inquired, and I thought you would want to speak to the admiral." Joker replied._

"Put him through." Shepard responded begrudgingly.

" _Shepard, I just wanted to thank you for your good work on Solcrum."_  The admiral boomed through the comm.

"I don't know what you're talking about Admiral." Shepard stated calmly as she watched Liara looking around the room absent-mindedly. "The Normandy has been patrolling the Dis System for the last few hours, Sir, I believe we were sighted on route?"

" _Very well Shepard, then you should know that we have managed to reclaim our two lost research posts in the Armstrong Nebula, and that we have discovered a new crater on one of the moons in the Grissom System." Hackett replied calmly. "In fact, it seems the geth presence previously reported was greatly exaggerated."_

"That's good to hear Admiral, I'm glad that the assistance of my team wasn't required." Shepard replied as Liara curled up her chair, resting her head on Shepard's rather cold, bed. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me, Sir?"

" _Captain Anderson asked me to inform you that there has been a single geth ship sighted in the Pax System. It just dropped out of FTL, destroyed a single ship, and jumped back out again."_

"Thankyou Sir, we'll look into it."

" _Good luck Commander. I need to go smooth all of this over with the Alliance, although I do expect you to send a classified report to me though."_  The admiral stated.

"Will do Sir." Shepard managed to quickly respond before the channel beeped closed. "Now, about that lunch, if you want, we could-"

"Lunch would be lovely." Liara answered, not moving her head from the claimed section of the bed.

Shepard just smiled in response, even if Liara couldn't see, as she settled back down to sleep and recover. "Joker, could you set a course to the Pax System please?"

" _Aye Commander, feel better soon."_  Joker replied patronisingly.

* * *

After a rather sound nights sleep, Shepard hadn't been surprised to find out Liara had moved to her bed at some point after Shepard had fallen asleep. Surprisingly, Chakwas had cleared her to return to duty immediately, only incising the Commander ate a sensible breakfast. Shepard sat herself opposite Ash, surprised she was up so early since the day shift didn't start for another two hours, with a large plate of eggs and a glass of orange juice, hot coffee just hadn't seemed like an appealing idea.

Ash couldn't help herself after Shepard had sat down opposite her. "Okay, what happened, I haven't seen you this happy since... ever actually, even when you got the spectre title. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you got laid last night." Ash quickly took a sip of coffee to hide her smirk at the look of surprise on Shepard face.

"Gunnery Chief! Am I to assume that you're engaging in gossip regarding an officer's personal life?" Shepard snapped.

"Ash jumped like a well traind soldier. "No Ma'am." She saluted the Commander on instinct.

"Good," Shepard replied, before giving Ash a cocking grin. "Because we just talked."

Ashley looked shocked. "That was cruel commander."

"I don't like skuttlebutt," Shepard stated."I know I don't exactly run a tight, by the book ship, but if I catch you gossiping, chief..."

"My lips are sealed Ma'am, so what happened!?" Ash answered, her eagerness betraying any hope of appearing professional.

"Well, by the time they got me to the medbay I was unconscious, next thing I know I'm in a bed with Liara perched next to me looking... I dunno, she's adorable when she's thinking." Shepard muttered, slowly drifting off.

"Okay, back to what we were actually talking about, what happened!" Ash urged.

"Well, she just started talking, from the sounds of it she just needed to sort her head out, and I couldn't help but say how I felt. Next thing I knew, I was asking her out to lunch." Shepard mumbled as she neared the end, feeling herself turn a bright shade of red.

"Aww, look at you. Anyone would think you're back in high school." Ash laughed, "Hard to believe the first human spectre can get embarrassed over asking a girl out."

"We've all got our weaknesses Chief, but this is hardly as simple as the last guy you grabbed on a layover." Shepard couldn't but chuckle to her self a little. "She's another species."

Ash wasn't going to bite, but she certainly wasn't going to let that pass by unnoticed. "If you're planning on just having some fun, and than dumping her by-"

"Stop right there Chief." Shepard snapped. "I have no intention of this being a fling, you should know that, you're the one that's been encouraging her."

"All the more reason for me to make sure-" Ash stopped mid sentence at the sight of Shepard grinning. "What is so funny!?"

"Well, the human marine that was giving Liara a hard time for being an alien, seems to have become her big sister." Shepard replied, stifling a laugh.

"So not true..." Ash stated defensively, "she's eighty years older than me."

"Then why am I getting the same warning I'm sure you give everyone your sisters go out with?"

"N-Not everyone." Ash stuttered before quickly going back to her breakfast.

"Well it's good to know you can see past someone's species, I just hope you're not kissing Garrus without orders." Shepard teased.

"No Ma'am" Ash laughed, "If you'll excuse me, I promised Liara a shooting lesson before my shift starts."

"Of course, how much is she improving?" Shepard asked curiously.

"She could rival Kaidan and me with a pistol, Ma'am." Ash replied before she walked off towards the elevator to the cargo bay.

Shepard looked down at her half-finished breakfast before looking after the the Chief, "Hold up Ash, you've got an observer."

* * *

With most of the crew still asleep, Ash had completely taken over the cargo bay. Containers had been scattered around the room providing cover for various targets that had been set up. After Shepard had said she was joining, Ash had decided to give Liara and extra challenge in addition to the targets simply moving in and out of cover. Several of the simple drones were equipped with weapons to fire training round, incapable of penetrating a barrier or armor, but would prove effective in teaching Liara to effectively use cover.

With the last setting adjustments made to the drones and a kinetic barrier separating the lift and engineering access from the rest of the cargo bay, Ash walked over to Liara attaching the last of her armour plates. "The aim is simple, disable all the drones and don't get shot too much." Ash attacked a sensor to the back of Liara's armour, "That will track any shots that make contact with you or your barriers, one head shot or three to the torso and you're out. I'm also going to say you can use biotics if you want to, Shepard's watching, and I'm sure you'd appreciate the chance to show her what you can do."

Liara couldn't help but glance over to Shepard sat on the top of the Mako, grateful the helmet was hiding the blush in her cheeks. "Sounds simple enough, just wish it was that easy."

"You'll do fine." Ash offered, maneuvering Liara towards a pile of crates she'd set up for an initial position. "You've got five seconds, then I'll activate the drones."

Liara nodded, settling herself in behind the crates, pistol in hand. "These things are safe, right?"

"Perfectly. Just relax." Liara nodded to Ash at her statement, exhaling to relax. "Right, five seconds from now." Ash said quickly backing away.

Liara just sat against the crates, trying to look round towards the drones, currently hiding themselves. _You can do this, it's just a few drones._ The sensor on the back of her neck beeped, indicating the start of the session. Liara cautiously looked round the corner, as a single shot hit her shoulder. She quickly fell back into cover just before two more shots flew past into the barrier behind her. _You can do this, they're just drones._

Liara pushed herself back out from behind cover, moving far quicker, firing shots towards the drones that had shot at her. One fell to the ground, sparking, as Liara reached the pile of crates she was running for. A volley of shots hit the area around her, impacting the crates and barrier again. The shots started coming in a steady stream, effectively pinning her in position. She quickly emptied the clip, firing blindly around the crates, leaving the pistol wining as it over heated.

She replaced the clip, before pulling back from cover. With a hand wreathed in blue energy, the crates she had hidden behind flew across the cargo bay, shattering against another cluster on the far side of the cargo bay, crushing two drones that had been behind them. Scrambling for some cover behind a single crate on the floor, she fired rapidly, taking out another drone, leaving only two, both out of view, both armed. No idea where the next attack would come from, she had no choice. Liara poked her head over the top of the crate in time to see a round being fired from behind the Mako, impacting on the crate right in front of her. She quickly dropped back to the ground before a second round fired through the air that her head had been occupying. Leaning around the crate, Liara threw a singularity to between and behind where the two shots had come from. She ducked back into cover to wait for it to form, before she rose out from behind the crate, bathed in blue light. She stepped around the obstacle as the two drone hung in the singularity field bumping into each other as they drifted. Liara swung her arms towards them as the biotic energy around her rushed towards her hands, releasing towards the drones in a warp field.

The singularity detonated as the warp passed over the drones, detonating to scatter the twisted components of the drones across the cargo bay. Shepard flinched as a fragment flew towards her head, grateful she'd picked up a shield generator as the barrier deflected the piece of twisted metal. She quickly slid down from the Mako's roof looking at the considerable mess Liara had managed to make within a few minutes, unable to do anything buy grin as she approached the asari. "You're just an adorable little bundle of destruction aren't you?"

Liara couldn't help but blush, grateful that the helmet hid most of her face, although a thin smile was clear. "Chief Williams is a good teacher."

"Yeah, but she's not a biotics, and I'm not sure she could destroy quite this much, as quickly, without grenades."

Liara glanced back over her shoulder towards Ash, finding the marine to be staring slack-jawed at the destroyed crates and scattered contents. "I should probably give her a hand clearing up."

"Probably, but I need to correct a mistake first. We're headed to a human research colony where there has been a geth sighting. The colony hasn't gone silent, so we aren't expecting any serious fighting, but I would like you on the ground team, if you want to come?" Shepard asked, looking a little unsure of herself after questioning her own decision.

"I'm not sure it was a mistake at the time, but I'd like to come now." Liara replied sweetly before running off towards Ash, throwing a couple of singularities out to help puck up the large mess on the floor.


	11. Money and Ice

"Approach control, this is the SSV Normandy, requesting an approach vector and a berth." Joker said down the comm, gently pushing the Normandy own out of orbit.

" _Normandy, your approach is not scheduled. Our defense grid is armed and tracking your approach. State your business."_ a crisp, calm and incredibly annoying voice replied.

"Citadel business, we've got a Council Spectre aboard." Joker answered sounding incredibly bored for someone being told a network of guns was being aimed at his ship.

" _Landing access granted, Normandy. Transmitting docking information to you now."_ The control worker stated.  _"Be advised, we will be confirming identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded."_

"What a fun bunch. I think I'll take my next leave her." Joker jested. "Just don't shoot that guy, I want to be able to talk to him if he impounds my ship."

"Not planning on shooting anyone, Joker." Shepard scolded from behind the pilot as the ship dropped through the layers of cloud.

"Sure, that's why you walk around in armor with an arsenal on your back." Joker laughed.

Shepard just turned and left the cockpit while she rolled her eyes at the pilot, heading towards the CIC and her awaiting team. "Doesn't sound like they're too pleased to see us, so best behaviour." Shepard paused to look at the large group in front of her waiting for a response. "Understood?"

"Aye-Aye, ma'am." Ash and Kaidan quickly replied, while Liara, Garrus and Tali just nodded. Wrex however just grunted, not leaving Shepard entirely happy, but somehow she felt the physically intimidating krogan might help her make her point if any company policy got in her way.

With the ship securely docked, the seven of them confidently left the airlock heading straight towards the lobby that served the private colony. Garrus however couldn't let the opportunity pass. "Any chance of not sending us all into the lair of a giant sentient alien plant this time Shepard?"

Shepard couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll see what I can... do..." She trailed off as at least ten humans in hard suits filed out of the doors at the end of the walkway, before they took up a defensive posture with one woman standing firm between the humans and Shepard's team.

Shepard quickened her pace towards the human blocking her path before they raised a hand and shouted, "That's far enough! This in unscheduled landing, I need to see your credentials before you can be granted access to the colony."

"Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy,  _Council Spectre_." Shepard responded, emphasising ' _Spectre'_  as much as she could.

Before the woman in charge of the security team could respond, one of the officers behind her interrupted. "Load of horse crap, ma'am."

Shepard glanced at the loud mouthed officer for a second, deciding Wrex was probably staring at the officer from the sudden change in the officers face before the commanding officer responded. "We will need to confirm that. Also I must advice you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria." She looked to the officer behind her that had interrupted, "Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

The officer hadn't even managed to finish saying 'secure' before she heard the noise of weapons arming themselves from Shepard's team. She looked back to find three assault rifles and two shotguns pointed at her team, as well as two biotics cloaked in energy.

"Don't even try it!" Wrex threatened from just beside Shepard.

"You've got no authority to take my weapon," Shepard stated, "and docking control certainly haven't done anything to make us feel welcome."

The security officer just straitened up, clasping her hands behind her back. "Charge and lock! We are authorized to use lethal force, you have until the count of three." She shifted, looking uncomfortable at the array of weapons pointed at her team. Once no one moved to relinquish their weapon, she counted to three.

Just before she could order the security officers to fire, a voice interrupted her over the dock's PA.  _"Captain Matsuo, stand down. We have confirmed their identities. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain."_

The Captain sighed in relief, "You may proceed, Spectre. Hopefully the rest of your visit will be less confrontational. Parasini-san will meet you inside"

Shepard led her group past the Captain and her team into the ports lobby, but couldn't resist muttering "Not very likely" under her breath. Unsurprisingly, the entire structure appeared to be covered in neutral looking stone, leaving an atmosphere that let radiated zero warmth. Given that it was built into the side of a mountain, and a blizzard was raging outside, cold was an understatement.

They barely made it up the first flight of stairs before alarms stared to sound around them. Shepard just placed her face in a palm, deciding that resisting the temptation to shoot everyone managing the colony was likely to be the hardest mission she had been on to date.

A tall woman behind a desk beside them shouted over the alarms, "Weapons detectors, please don't mind the alarms." before she managed to deactivate them. "I am Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We're sorry for the incident in the docking bay, we don't usually have visits from spectres."

"Thanks for getting us through, but you might want your security chief to know that it's a bad idea to try and take a spectre's weapon." Shepard states as she lent on the desk.

"You understand she was only doing her job of course," Gianna offered. "I have been asked to try to expedite your stay here as much as possible. Do you have any questions?"

"Has anyone unusual passed through here recently? Probably around the same time the geth attack on that ship was reported."

Gianna looked down to a display built into the desk, flicking through logs from the colony. "Unusual? Well the only thing that stands out is an asari matriarch from a few days ago, a Lady Benezia."

"She-she's here?" Liara stammered, the conversation abruptly catching her attention when she heard her mothers name.

"Can we speak with her?" Shepard asked quickly.

"I'm afraid she left almost immediately for the peak fifteen research complex. According to the logs, she's still there." Gianna replied, not looking up from the display. "If you plan on travelling there, you'll need clearance from Administrator Anoleis to leave this port, his office is up the elevator round the corner, and then to the left."

"Thanks, don't suppose security's any lighter up there is it?" Shepard asked, doing her best not to look like she was going to cause trouble.

"The board does everything it can to protect the privacy of its clients." Gianna replied, sounding incredibly rehearsed.

"I'm not going to be worrying about stepping on toes of anyone tries to interrupt with my investigation." Shepard stated bluntly, not even blinking as she glared at Parasini.

"I suggest you watch which toes you step on, the board can bury you in litigation." She glanced over to the now pale looking asari behind Shepard. "You'd need an asari lawyer to see the case through."

"Understood, if there's nothing else?" Shepard asked, pushing herself back from the reception desk.

"By all means, if you need anything, I'll be at the Administrator's office." Gianna said before disappearing into a corridor behind the desk.

Shepard walked off towards the elevators, waving for the team to follow her. It was only once She had walked into an open elevator and turned around that she noticed the pale look on Liara face as she followed Shepard in. Before anyone else had chance to enter, she pressed the button to close the doors. "Catch the next one guys, we just need a minute." Ash just stared between the doors with a look of disbelief as they shut everyone out.

Liara looked up at Shepard shyly. "I thought you might want to talk to me after we found out my mother was here."

"No, I don't need to." Shepard softly replied, placing a hand on Liara's shoulder. "I've already told you that I trust you. That hasn't changed, or you wouldn't be here."

Liara smiled as she placed a hand on top of Shepard's. "Thank you, Jane."

Shepard returned the smile before she pulled Liara in for a gently hug, cursing when the doors opened into what appeared to be the main floor of the port. "Come on, we need to move before the elevator decided to go back down to the others." The two quickly filed out into the large public space, snow buffeting against the giant windows looking out from the mountain towards the neighboring peaks.

They quickly found the Administrators' office, with Gianna, true to her word, sitting at her desk strait in from the door. She stood up as she saw the door into the office open. Shepard, how may I help you?"

"I'd like to speak to Anoleis, please," Shepard replied, already getting bored of the colony's bureaucracy.

"One moment." Gianna said as she tapped a button on her desk. "Mr Anoleis?"

" _Yes. What? What!?"_  A voice rapidly replied through the comm.

"Commander Shepard would like to see you sir."

" _Right, fine. Come in."_

Gianna gestured towards the wall immediately behind her desk. "Just through the door behind the partition."

"Thanks" Shepard muttered as she led Liara through to the administrators office.

The office had no more in the way of furnishings than the rest of the colony. A desk was visible again in front of the door, with a table and several chairs to the side, all looking like standard supplies. The only oddity was a combat drone hovering in front of the windows shielding them from the force of the blizzard.

The single occupant of the office, a salarian, did nothing to help make the cold room any more welcoming. "Please excuse me if I don't stand, I don't have the time to entertain space born vagabonds."

"Cut the crap, I'm here as a Spectre. Noveria might not be part of Citadel space, but your administrative board granted us extraterritorial privileges." Shepard stated, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"This meeting is a courtesy, I will only cooperate as far as the executive board requires me to." Anoleis stated, still not having looked up from his terminal since Shepard and Liara had walked in. "Businesses come here to avoid the second guessing of galactic law."

"Well I am the second guessing of galactic law, and the sooner I finish my business here the less time I'll have to poke about in what those companies have come here to do." Shepard threatened.

"Very well, ask your questions quickly," he answered, still not looking up at Shepard.

"Does the ex Spectre Saren have any involvement with any of the companies on Noveria."

"I cannot divulge information about any links the companies may, or may not, have to individuals in the galaxy. It would violate seventeen sections of the Executive Board's privacy policy."

Shepard suppressed a growl in her throat before it became audible and turned back to Liara. She gave the asari a single nod of her head towards the windows before turning back to look at the administrator.

Anoleis looked up from the desk towards the windows at the side of the room as he heard an explosion, justy in time to watch the remaining fragments of his security drone fall to the ground. He looked forward towards the spectre in time to see their hands land on his desk, placing their face an inch from his own, they looked furious, cast in shadow from the glow of biotics originating from somewhere behind them.

"What is Saren's link to Peak Fifteen?" Shepard's voice dripped with the non verbalized threat.

"Th-The facility if being rented by Binary Helix Corporation. Spectre S-Saren is a major share holder." The salarian stuttered.

"And why is Matriarch Benezia there?"

"She came here as Spectre S-Saren's executor. She's here on business for Binary Helix to deal with issues at Peak Fifteen that required more direct oversight. She and her personal escort were bringing in cargo to deal with the problem. I don't have any more information than that, we lost all contact with the facility when road access was cut off several days ago."

"Road access?" Shepard asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Cut off, I said. The blizzard makes it impossible for any of our vehicles to traverse the mountain until the roads have been cleared."

"What was her cargo?"

"Large, heavy and sealed. It passed weapons screening, beyond that, It's not our business," The administrator replied, finding some of his confidence again.

"Fine. I'll go, for now." Shepard stated, pushing herself away from his desk and starting towards the door.

"Good, I received twelve urgent messages while you dithered about." Anoleis complained, back to his normal arrogant tone of voice.

Shepard stormed through Parasini's office towards the door back into the common area before a voice startled her. "You've never worked in the corporate world, have you commander. You can't just bludgeon your way through bureaucracy."

"So I can see." Shepard sighed. "I don't suppose you can suggest an alternative?"

Gianna quickly glanced around her office, before she lent uncomfortably close to Shepard across her desk to whisper in her ear. "Talk to Lorik Qui'in, you can probably find him at the hotel bar, he'll be the turian sat on his own. I can't say any more, not in earshot of Mr Anoleis."

Shepard nodded her thanks before walk out of the office, finding herself face to face with a rather annoyed looking Ashley. "Was that really necessary, Shepard?"

Shepard glanced over to Liara that had stepped up beside her, giving Ash a slightly upset look, but at least the colour had returned to her face. "You really think I should have discussed Liara's mother being here in front of the entire team, Ash? I trust her, but do you think someone like Wrex wouldn't voice concerns about Benezia?"

Ash looked from Shepard to Liara, looking rather guilty. "Sorry, Blue. Did you get anywhere with the Administrator, Shepard?"

"Not really, but we do have a lead to chase down. We should head to the bar. Any idea where the rest of the team is?"

"Getting a drink. Wrex saw the word 'bar' and there was no stopping him," Ash laughed lightly, still looking a little guilty.

The hotel proved easy to find, with it being one of only a few facilities operating in Port Hanshan. Unsurprisingly, given the sparsity of people in the port, there were only two turians in the bar, one of which was busy trying to stop the bartender from selling Wrex a whole bottle, which thankfully wasn't ryncol. Ignoring the crew for the time being though, Shepard walked strait over to the other turian, sitting on his own with a large cluster of empty glasses sat in front of him, as well as several plates.

Shepard stopped beside the table, leaning lightly on a chair while Liara and Ash disappeared over to the rest of the team at the bar. "Are you Lorik Qui'in?"

"You're the Spectre that just arrived are you not? Please, sit down and have a drink. What can I do for you?" The tuian asked eagerly.

Shepard pulled a seat out opposite the turian, turning away the glass he offered her, not sure if it would be safe for her to drink, even if she wasn't on duty. "I need to get to Peak Fifteen, and I was told you might be able to help me get access to the garage."

"You need a pass. How fortuitous." Lorik smiled, "I'm the manager for the local Synthetic insights office. For the moment at least. Mr Anoleis has shut down my office, and is currently searching for anything he can use to incriminate me. He claims he is investigating reports of my corruption. The Administrator is a fortunate man, it seems that since he was given direct control of the company's rents, he has become quite wealthy."

"And you have proof in your office that he's got his fingers in the cookie jar." Shepard smirked.

"In the... he's not stealing computer files, he's taking credits directly from each of the companies' payments. Noveria never even sees the credits they should be getting. I have files on the computer in my office that prove it. Unfortunately, he's hired a number of goons to ransack my office as we speak. I'll give you your pass, if you retrieve those files for me. I can assure you, Anoleis will do everything he can make sure you stay where he can watch you."

"Sounds easy enough. We have a deal. Did you have a plan for me to get in?"

"Violence may be necessary, but there is one problem. He also has several members of Elanus' security force here overseeing his goons. He's paying them under the table, and I don't believe Ms Matsuo approves of her staff freelancing, she's probably unaware of their outside employment."

"I'll try find a way around shooting them if I can, but they are crooked at the end of the day."

"Good to hear we have a deal, the offices have a private elevator from the main are outside." Lorik said, pointing towards the bar's exit. "I suggest you hurry before they have chance to find the files they're after. Here's my pass for the office, and this OSD will automatically download the files I need." He said, handing over two data chips.

Shepard nodded to the turian as she lifted herself to her feet and started over towards the bar. "Ash, Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex, we've got a job to do." She barked.

The six team members quickly spun around at her voice, but Garrus couldn't help himself. "Finally realized that was a different turian? I know humans are bad at telling aliens apart, but this must be a record."

"Nah, worked it out instantly, but he's just so much better to look at than you Garrus." Shepard laughed.

Garrus couldn't help but smirk, but Wrex was the next to say anything. "Just tell me we're going to shoot something."

"Hopefully not Wrex, but I want you with me for intimidation. We've got to get some information from an office that's being raided, and they shouldn't be stupid enough to try and fight a krogan." Wrex barked a laugh before Shepard turned to Liara and Tali. "Just wait here, we shouldn't be long." The two looked at each other, before back at Shepard, both agreeing reluctantly before Shepard led her team out of the bar.

* * *

The doors opened into the office space, with every person instantly turning to watch them across the partitions in the office. Shepard stepped out of the elevator, closely followed by the rest of her team until several of the port's security service stepped in front of them, blocking their access to the office's upper level.

"What are you doing here? This office has been closed by the port administrator."

Shepard glanced back at Wrex, finding the krogan grinning madly before she looked back to the security officer. "Lorik Qui'in asked us to do a little cleaning for him while the office was closed. He was also curious if you're boss knows where you are?"

The security officers looked between each other before they looked back at Shepard. "You didn't see us, we didn't see you." one of them stated, before leading them all back to the elevator Shepard had walked out of.

Before Shepard had chance to continue towards the stairs, several shots hit her in the back, knocking her forwards as her shields were overwhelmed. She dropped quickly to the ground, running a hand along the back of her armor, relieved to find it was still dry before she scrambled over to one of the office cubicles.

Wrex was laughing, as his shotgun blew holes in the screens concealing the mercenaries. Ash was firing towards the heads of any of the mercs that were trying to fire towards the team, leaving Kaidan throwing up barriers to protect them, given the weak strength of the cubicles. Garrus however had disappeared, not that the barrage of fire coming at them from every mercenary in the office was giving them time to investigate his disappearance.

Shepard pulled her shotgun off her back, and started firing towards the cover being used by the mercenaries. Despite them slowly thinning out the number of mercenaries, Kaidan's barriers were being strained by the incoming fire, forcing Wrex to start helping him to defend the team. Several of the mercenaries used the lull in fire to darting between clusters of cubicles, round towards the flank of Shepard's Team.

Shepard cursed, continuing to fire, but unable to get a line of sight on any of the enemy that had managed to start moving round to flank them, only able to prevent any more from trying to cross the gaps in cover. She looked back behind her towards the balcony at the top of the stairs, as she heard a single gunshot from somewhere above them. She looked back to the enemy in time to fire a blast, catching a mercenary in the arm, leaving him on the floor until Wrex blew their helmet apart with a shot.

Wrex quickly replaced the clip in his shotgun before he resumed firing, trying to hit the mercenaries currently flanking them until he empties the clip again. As if on cue, the first leant out from cover as Wrex's shotgun whined, aiming his assault rifle towards Kaidan, just visible past Wrex. The first burst of fire shredded Kaidan's barrier, leaving him exposed. Before he could fire again, the mercenary's helmet exploded as a single round passed through it and their skull. Before the body could even hit the ground another round fired down behind the cover the mercenary had used, before a third shot, each followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. The team looked up towards the balcony as a fourth shot came down, leaving another of the mercenaries dead on the ground.

Garrus lent back from the balcony, looking down at Shepard's team with a cocky grin as he popped the thermal clip and slammed in another. Several shots clipped the screen hiding the team, forcing them back to the fight, focusing on pinning their opponents in place, while Garrus efficiently killed them one at a time.

Once the last of the gunfire had stopped, Shepard swapped her shotgun for her assault rifle, before proceeding up the stairs where they had originally intended to go. At the top she was met with several bodies littering the floor, one of which seemed to have been shot with a high-powered rifle at close range, and a smirking Garrus. Shepard just ignored him, marching strait past him towards the offices at the far end of the balcony.

Garrus gaped after her in surprise, "I don't even get a thank you for saving my sidekick's ass?"

Shepard paused, before she turned and started towards the turian, jabbing him in the chest as she approached him. "You leave us down there, with no idea where you're going, and you want a thank you? You can't just start off when the shooting starts to go fine your perch, leaving us open in the meantime. If you'd been half a second later, and there would be a half-dozen holes in Kaidan's chest."

"I saw an opportunity, and I took it." Garrus stated.

"You gambled with our lives, and very nearly lost." Shepard retorted. "I seem to remember we had the conversation already, after you nearly shot a doctor in the head. You don't gamble with lives!" Shepard screamed, shoving the turian back onto a bench that ran along the edge of the balcony behind him before she stormed off.

Garrus sat stunned on the bench as the rest of the team walked past, looking over to Ash as she walked past him. "What was that about?"

Ash shook her head, rolling her eyes in disbelief as she muttering something that sounded like "Men" as she left Garrus sat on the bench.

* * *

The OSD quickly completed it's download once Shepard inserted it in the terminal. With the data collected, they started back towards where they had left Garrus. Shepard stepped out of the office, instantly spotting Garrus at the other end of the balcony, with a security officer pointing a shotgun at his head.

"Made some new friends Garrus?" Shepard laughed as she walked towards the heavily armed group.

"You know how it is, Shepard. You humans all seem to want to shoot everything." Garrus replied, doing everything he could to look bored.

"That's far enough!" Sergeant Stirling commanded, lifting her assault rifle to casually aim at Shepard. "I don't think you're supposed to in here, Shepard."

"I'm fairly sure that I'm allowed to go where ever I want." Shepard stated, crossing her arms. "You were in the team that met me at the dock, if I'm not mistaken."

"Sergeant Kaina Stirling, Elanus Risk Control Services." The woman spat. "Anoleis would have you thrown off world for what you've done here. I won't, I've never liked cop killers."

"You're going to call those mercenaries Anoleis hired cops? The only cops here scurried away after we turned up."

"That's not what my report's going to show. Most people don't resort to shooting people in the back."

Shepard stepped to her side, positioning herself directly in front of Kaidan as she moved her hands back to the pit of her back. "I don't know how I didn't flag you as crooked from the moment I met you."

"Hands where I can see them, Spectre." Stirling ordered, tightening the grip on her assault rifle.

Garrus flinched as a wave of blue light flew towards him, throwing him back over the hand rail behind the bench, finding himself entering free-fall towards the stone floor below. The shotgun that had been pointed directly at his head, barely missed him as it fired, leaving a gaping hole in the back of the seat. The mercenary that had been holding it collapsed into the bench beside the hole as another was blasted in their chest by Wrex's shotgun. Ash and Shepard's assault rifles quickly cut down two of security officers still standing, leaving only Stirling who dashed into cover behind a large pillar as soon as the fire started.

Shepard gestured to everyone else to lower their weapons as she slowly approached the Sergeant. "You know, I don't like criminals. I don't like dirty cops. I really don't like murderers."

Shepard slipped a grenade off her belt and threw it around one side of the pillar before she aimed her assault rifle around the opposite. Stirling ran out from behind the pillar, strait towards the staircase to the lower level, coming under fire as Shepard pulled the trigger, firing the assault rifle on full auto until the thermal clip overheated. The officer had collapsed to the ground, looking back towards the grenade in alarm as Shepard slipped back behind the pillar with a smug grin on her face before the grenade detonated.

Shepard stepped round from behind the pillar ordering the team to follow her as she walked towards the stairway, taking care not to touch the bloody body on the floor as she stepped over it. They quickly descended the stairs, finding Garrus sitting on the stone floor nursing an injured leg.

"You couldn't give me a gentler landing Kaidan, or at least a warning?" Garrus moaned as he struggling to his feet.

"Sorry Garrus, I didn't want to give the man holding the shotgun to your head a chance to remove it." Kaidan replied, giving the turian a friendly smirk. "Next time I'll find you a bouncy castle."

"What's a bouncy castle?" Garrus asked looking around in confusion. "I'm going to head back to the ship. I think I could do with a visit to the medbay."

"Come on, I'll give you a hand." Shepard offered, putting an arm around Garrus's back.

The group, including Garrus being held up by both Shepard, and now Ash, moved strait out of the office taking the elevator back towards the main area of Port Hanshan. One the doors opened, Shepard walked out and round the corner, coming face to face with Gianna.

"Commander, we got reports of loud noise coming from the Synthetic Insights office. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this would you?"

Shepard looked over to Garrus and Ash, noting the weapons Kaidan and Wrex were still holding, before she looked back to Gianna. "Are you really going to make me answer that?"

"Very well, Spectre. Then please allow me to re introduce myself. Gianna Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs."

"Ash, get Garrus back to the ship, then meet me in the bar." Shepard ordered as she removed her arm from Garrus's back before turning back to Gianna. "And why exactly are you interested in me?"

"I need that data you just recovered, and Lorik Qui'in's testimony. The Executive board knows about Anoleis' corruption. I've been undercover here for six months, try to get the evidence I need to have him convicted. With Lorik's data, this planet can finally run profitably again." Gianna stated as Garrus hobbled off towards the docks with Ash.

"I've got my own mission to do here, where exactly do I come into this?" Shepard asked.

"I need you to convince Qui'in. I'm Anoleis' assistant, I doubt he'll believe anything I could say to him. Convince him to testify, and I'll see to it you get everything you need, and I'll stow owe you a favour." Gianna answered.

"Okay, get me a garage key, and I'll talk to Qui'in."

"Right away, Shepard." Gianna answered before smiling as she walked away.

"Okay... Bar anyone?" Shepard asked as she followed Gianna towards the port's common area.

"Good, I need a drink." Wrex growled.

By the time they got there, the bar was still as empty as it had been earlier. Shepard walked in, heading strait towards Lorik's table. She couldn't however miss a pair of bright blue eyes following her from the bar. Shepard gave Liara a smile, watching as the asari returned it before she sat down opposite Lorik.

"Ah, Shepard. Always a pleasure. Do you have any news for me?" Lorik asked eagerly.

"I have the information, but-"

"Excellent, consider my garage pass yours." Lorik interrupted looking overjoyed.

"But, there is an internal affairs officer that would like you to use it to testify against Anoleis." Shepard continued.

"So now you have my property you want to dictate how I use it? I have no interest in a public spectacle." He replied, the tone of his voice souring.

"You take this data away, what is there to stop Anoleis from continuing to extort money out of everyone. What stops him from simply sending another raid against you. Everyone on this planet is having their purses squeezed, you can stop that."

Lorik sighed, "All right, it is obvious I cannot dissuade you. Speak to your contact and tell them I'll cooperate. They can meet me here when they're ready."

* * *

"I still don't get why Shepard was annoyed at me for going up to the balcony." Garrus complained as Ash helped him through the gangway.

"And there I was hoping you wouldn't be completely stupid. What's different about this mission Garrus?" Ash asked angrily.

"Err... It's cold?" Garrus shrugged, regretting it as his weight shifted back to his injured leg.

"T'Soni's on it." Ash stated matter of factly. "Not to mention she's worried about Benezia being on this planet."

"So how does this come back to be being on a balcony?" Garrus asked sounding completely lost.

"What do you think Shepard thinks when she sees you gambling and leaving members of her team exposed?"

"It could have been Liara." Garrus said slowly as it finally dawned on him.

"She's nothing if not protective." Ash stated, helping Garrus down the stairs to the crew deck.

* * *

"Shepard, where do we stand on our... arrangement?" Gianna asked giving Shepard a smile as Shepard and several of her crew walked into Gianna's office.

"I managed to convince him to testify. He's waiting for you in the hotel." Shepard replied

"Thank god." Gianna sighed. "You have no idea how much of a relief this is. I'll take the evidence for safe transport." she said holding a hand out for the OSD. "Never thought a Spectre would help me with a case. You're all right Shepard."

"Happy to help, but I do need that garage pass." the commander replied.

"Of course, I managed to organize one while you were talking to Lorik." Gianna stated, getting an ID card out of her desk. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an arrest to make. Feel free to hang around, I doubt he'll go easily."

The group stood around in the office until a very outraged scream of "What are you thinking, Parsini. I'll see to it that you never work in this sector again."

Shepard looked over to Liara, who was looking a little distracted. "Probably a good thing you destroyed that drone of his."

Liara gave Shepard a happy smile, "I must admit, it was quite fun, even if he didn't give us everything we needed."

"Spectre! I demand that you shoot this bitch!" Anoleis screamed as Parasini dragged him across the floor of her office.

"I owe you one Shepard, hopefully we can bump into each other again some time." Parasini interjected, giving Shepard a wink as she continued to drag the salarian out of the door.

Ash stepped off of the elevator, instantly being met by high pitched screams and what sounded like begging. Betting that where there was noise, there was Shepard, she went strait to towards the source. As she neared the doorway the screaming body of Anoleis was dragged out, followed by Shepard, Wrex, Tali, Kaidan and Liara. "Are we to fin a Matriarch?"

"I think so, but I'm afraid you're staying here Ash. I need you to go smooth things over with Captain Matsuo, we did nine of her officers," Shepard replied, bracing herself for Ash's objection.

"Understood Skipper. There's only five seats in the Mako anyway." Ash replied.

"Right..." Shepard replied looking a little stunned. "Time for a Sunday drive."


	12. Peak Fifteen

"Captain Matsuo?" Ash asked approaching the officer standing in the dock. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

"You're part of the Spectre's team, right? What can I do to help?"

"I'm afraid I need to report that nine of your officers have been killed." Ash replied, sticking to her military tone. "They were involved in raiding the Synthetic Insights office for Anoleis. He was trying to find evidence to discredit Lorik Qui'in."

"Which is why I had an internal affairs officer requesting the use of a cell?" Matsuo sighed. Ash nodded before she continued. "I'm going to guess Sergeant Stirling was involved?"

"She was leading the officers that Anoleis hired."

"Always told them that taking jobs on the side was a bad idea. I should start the paperwork and send condolences to their family. Please thank your commander for sending someone to tell me personally, and for saving me an investigation."

* * *

 The Mako rocked as the blizzard buffered against the hull. Once they had entered the garage, they'd managed to easily move the Mako out of the cargo bay and gotten onto the treaturous mountain road network on Noveria. Unfortunately, the blizzard had buried any sign of the tarmac hours, if not days ago. The roads we still marked by lights extending a metre above the surface, presumably intended to allow them to clear the roads after the weather calmed down. From the look of the road network, it was going to be a long drive, with Peak Fifteen being one of the furthest of the seventeen facilities from the port.

"I'm still not sure if I'd feel safer outside in the blizzard." Kaidan moaned as Mako landed after a bump in the road.

"I'd defiantly rather be out there. Krogan are far better suited to extreme atmospheres than other species, but if Shepard drives us off that cliff..." Wrex grunted.

"There's nothing wrong with my driving!" Shepard insisted. "I don't know why you all keep complaining."

"I've certainly had far worse journeys travelling to dig sites from colonies. Therum was probably one of the worst." Liara offered quietly. Wrex opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off as another bump in the road threw his hump into the roof of the vehicle, leaving Liara to amend her statement after a yelp of pain. "On second thoughts, Shepard, you're driving is terrible."

"Now I just feel like I'm being ganged up on." Shepard pouted before she burst out laughing.

"It's a shame Garrus isn't here, he could have given you a comparison between your driving and mine." Tali taunted.

"I was there too, your driving was anything but smooth." Shepard replied.

"Hardly my fault you weren't wearing a harness." Tali laughed. "You were barely even conscious anyway."

The Mako continued along the treacherous roads that weaved their way through the mountain range, with the only noise as the ongoing conversation from Kaidan in the gunner's seat, and Wrex, Tali and Liara in the rear discussing everything from Shepard's driving to what they hoped was for dinner that night.

After over an hour of driving, as the conversation dwindled, alarms lit up the HI in front of Shepard and Kaidan, indicating a missile launch. Liara and Tali yelped in surprise as Shepard sped the Mako up.

"Who would be shooting missiles at us out here?" Kaidan asked, powering the Mako's weapons up.

"It could be turrets in place to maintain a lock down on Peak Fifteen if the emergency there is under quarantine. Or... Benezia could have brought geth here, and somehow fooled the scanners." Tali offered from the back seat, her hands squeezing her harness firmly as the Mako skidded round a corner, dangerously close to falling over the edge.

The tires span across the ice, as the rover struggled to regain its grip on the snow and continued along the road. The missile impacted harmlessly behind them before another turret directly ahead of them fired a missile straight towards them along a straight section of the road. The main cannon on the Mako fired at the turret, leaving only a flaming wreck at a far corner, the missile still flying through the air towards them.

Kaidan sank back into his seat as the missile loomed closer. "Shepard...!"

The Mako's thrusters fired at the last possible moment, launching the vehicle over the missile, barely, before landing on the ground. The missile flew harmlessly into the side of the mountain, while the Mako continued along the road towards the facility.

Several more turrets fired at the Mako, clearly designed to target shuttles rather than ground vehicles which produced far less heat for the missiles to target. Shepard managed to evade each attack, with several more close calls with the edge of the cliff, while Kaidan rendered the turrets inoperable, or just destroyed them completely. When they finally pulled up to the small garage at Peak Fifteen, the doors refused to open. With no other option, three of the five fixed on their breather helmets, while Tali was already in her suit, and Wrex able to withstand the temperatures before they filed out of the vehicle towards what appeared to be an access door besides the garage door. The HI however, refused to even light up as they approached it.

"Any chance you can get it open, Tali?" Shepard asked, trying to pull the cover off the HI.

"I don't see how, there's absolutely no power to the door. I would guess every generator linked to the facility is offline." Tali replied.

"Then what's powering those turrets?"

"Separate system, cut off after we destroyed the turrets. Either way, I can't open this thing." Tali stated closing her Omni-tool down.

"Out of the way." Wrex barked as he pushed his way towards the door. The krogan tore the door open, leaving each section wedge into their housing after they had buckled under the force. Wrex was the first through, not waiting for anyone to say anything before commenting. "I'm not doing that for every door we come across."

The garage lacked any light source, and any emergency lights installed in the facility appeared to be dead. The only light in the large open space came from the open doorway behind them, hiding everything within in darkness. Five omni-tools lit up, casting beams of light across the frozen floor. The light reflected off a layer of frost that had formed on the every surface in the garage, making the space feel cold and lifeless.

"Can't be any warmer in here than it is outside." Shepard complained, pulling her assault rifle off her back.

"I think it might actually be a few degrees colder." Liara shivered. "What's the rifle for?"

"We've got no power, they said there was some sort of emergency, and we have no idea what research they were doing here. I'm not getting jumped by the abominable snowman."

"The abominable what?" Liara asked as Shepard as everyone started to fan out through the room to search for another door.

"It's a rumored creature that supposedly lives in a specific mountain region on earth, but it's never been proven, even with shuttles." Kaidan offered as they followed Shepard, their lights running over the silent machinery and several inactive vehicles.

"Do humans have a lot of these... creatures?" Liara asked curiously.

"No, not a lot... well not anymore." Shepard responded moving her light across a wall looking for an exit into the main facility. "Go back a few centuries though, and there were hundreds. In fact, the further back you go, the more of them people believed in."

"How many of these creatures do humans still believe in?" The Doctor asked, completely abandoning her search of the room.

"We don't all believe in them, but can we focus on where we are, please Liara. I'll spend all the time you want later going through whatever you can find on the extranet." Shepard responded.

"Of course, Shepard." Liara replied, sounding a little excited.

"Now, I want Benezia alive. We know practically nothing about what Saren is planning." Shepard ordered. "Our goal here is to talk to her, especially Liara."

"What? Hoping our friendly asari can talk the matriarch down?" Wrex growled. "She's a threat. We came here to stop her. I say we just stop her permanently!"

"Liara is Benezia's daughter you big stupid tank. You are not killing her mother in front of her in _any_ circumstance. Do you hear me Wrex?" Shepard shouted, only to be met by the sound of Wrex charging somewhere nearby. Panicking, Shepard shouted "Liara, barriers up, now!" as she sprinted in the direction she thought she could hear Wrex.

Wrex stopped as he came out from behind a forklift, spotting the faint glow of a biotic barrier. He charged head long towards the glow across the garage. As he passed a pile of crates, motion to the side caught his attention. Not stopping, Wrex turned his head in time to see a human ram into him shoulder first. Wrex staggered into a container beside him as Shepard knocked him off balance, while Shepard skidded across the floor, ending up on her feet several metres away from Wrex.

"What are you doing, Wrex!?"

"I'm not working with the daughter of someone working with Saren. Just because you're trying to get her in your bed doesn't mean I have to trust her." Wrex spat before turning back towards Liara, pulling out his shotgun.

Shepard ran at Wrex, slamming the butt of her rifle into the side of his head to keep the krogan's attention. "I'm in command here, Wrex. You do as I order."

Wrex's shotgun fired in his surprise, hitting machinery beside them, before Wrex turned back and growled at Shepard, swiping his arm through the air, trying to hit her with the heavy armour on his forearm. Shepard managed to duck in time to dodge the blow, looking back up just as Tali and Kaidan appeared around the corner, guns raised towards Wrex. Shepard managed to wave a hand to order them both not to shoot, while rolling back to dodge a knee aimed at her face. Rising back up, Shepard planted both hands clasped together into Wrex's exposed throat, sending the krogan backwards in pain.

"What is this about Wrex, she's done nothing to you" Shepard panted.

"I'm not a fool Shepard. I'm not going to stand here and give our enemy the chance to shoot me in the back." Wrex weazed. "For all I know, our innocent _friend_ over there is just playing the part to man-"

A heavy blow to the plate on the top of Wrex's head caught the krogan off guard, not expecting even Shepard to try punching him in the head. He had to admit, the human packed a punch. "Don't say one more word Wrex." Shepard snarled. "Liara is _not_ our enemy. She's on our team, she's fought beside us-"

"And then you banned her from missions. Tell me Shepard, if you didn't think she should be fighting alongside you, why should I let her fight alongside me?" Wrex interrupted.

"That's not because I didn't trust her, Wrex. I didn't trust me." Shepard screamed, letting her guard down as she looked over at the Asari still standing off in the corner. "I was over protective of her, and I made rash decisions. I was in the wrong, not her!"

Wrex stared at Shepard for a minute, not even blinking until he glanced back to Liara. "Have it your way Shepard, but if she betrays us, I'm killing her, then you!" Wrex stated before shoving his way past Shepard.

Liara let the barrier she had thrown up fade as she walked over to Shepard, watching Wrex disappear into the darkness and Kaidan and Tali go back to trying to find a door. "Are you okay Jane?" She asked, worry filling her voice.

"Yeah, he didn't even touch me. Krogan might be tough, but they're certainly not quick to react." Shepard replied, nursing her shoulder. "Thick heads though."

"Should I keep my distance from Wrex, or is that likely to make the problem worse?" Liara asked nervously.

"I'll keep him in line, just not going to be hitting him with my shoulder again." Shepard replied as she stretched the joint.

The sound of tearing metal came from the direction Wrex had walked off in had everyone pointing their torches towards the wall, looking for the source. All four lights settled on Wrex tearing his way through a door until he managed to force it open. Wrex growled in frustration at the sight of another door on the other side of what appeared to be a decontamination chamber. The krogan charged into the opening, before a loud thud came out of the chamber, followed by a crash.

Everyone quickly gathered around the first doorway, peering through the destroyed door to find another destroyed door at the far end. Each section had bent clear of their track under the force, and were now laying on the ground with Wrex standing on top of them in triumph. Before anyone could say anything, a series of clicks and squeals came from behind them, lights scanning everything visible as fast as they could for the source.

"It's... probably just the metal in the structure cooling down after we opened the door." Tali offered, uncertainty filling her voice, after they had found nothing.

"Everything was already covered in ice, Tali. It's not going to get much colder." Shepard responded calmly, "Just keep your guard up, and remember, this site was sealed because of an emergency."

Everyone else quickly pulled out their weapons, suddenly far more nervous about the dark. "That's not very reassuring?" Liara stated, her voice wavering as she scanned the room. Liara followed as Shepard lead them into the corridor after the door, pausing as they passed two inactive turrets by the doors. "Why are they pointing the wrong way?"

"They had the building on lock-down. That means keeping everything in as well as out. Not going to work once you decide to cut the power thought." Wrex stated irritably from just behind Liara.

Liara swallowed in response, following Shepard along the dark corridor. Several rooms, and forced doors later, they entered the first room they had seen with windows. Glass lay scattered across the room, the Blizzard from outside roaring through the hole, slowly filling the room with ice. Shepard led the group in, pausing at a tapping from the corridor behind them. Every torch focused a large four-legged insect walking along the corridor following them.

"That has got to be the biggest bug I have ever seen." Shepard exclaimed.

"Not even close to the ones in that Cerberus lab," Wrex laughed. "Should have been there."

Everyone else jumped back in surprise when Wrex's shotgun fired, leaving a hole in the floor, and a smear of the insect on the ground.

"Was that really necessary?" Shepard muttered as she walked off from the krogan to look around the room. Shepard looked up at a tapping from above her head, quickly looking around the ceiling for an air vent. "How big exactly were the bigger ones you saw?"

"Err... about half a metre high, had some sort of tendrils that it carried higher than that."Kaidan replied, looking slightly confused.

"And how many legs did they have?" Shepard asked, not looking away from the ceiling.

"Four..." Kaidan answered, still sounding confused. "Plus two arms, why?"

"Well, they had to come from somewhere. This place was closed because of an emergency we have no details about. And something considerably larger than that bug just ran above my head in an air duct." Shepard answered, smiling as she spotted an open vent.

"And you think Cerberus acquired them here, from Binary Helix?" Tali ventured.

"You tell me. You said their... operation... was more extensive than we knew." Shepard recounted as she walked towards the vent. "For all we know, Binary Helix is owned by Cerberus, or just sends them creatures to study. Why did the geth destroy exactly one ship? Could have been carrying something off world they didn't want to leave this planet." Shepard theorised before she reached up to the vent.

Before Shepard could lift herself up, a large grey body came flying towards her out of the vent. Shepard quickly threw herself to the side before two tendrils, ending in what appeared to be sharp spikes, whipped through the air where she had been standing. Shepard reached around behind her for her shotgun, watching as the creature appeared to heave, before a shotgun blast from Wrex splattered its head against the wall, burning a hole through it.

"Heh, I forgot about the acid." Wrex laughed at the sight of Shepard on the floor, with the hole in the wall slowly expanding.

"Just glad I didn't get a face full." Shepard muttered, getting back up to her feet and brushing herself off. "I can assume that was what you saw on Binthu?"

"Little smaller, but yes." Kaidan answered as Wrex kicked the dead insect.

"At least we can start forming a theory on what happened here." Shepard muttered, pulling her shotgun out and starting towards a door at the far side of the room. "Stay clear of vents, ears open."

"So, either Cerberus got their insects from here, Cerberus attacked the facility using these insects, or... someone else has them as well, Saren?" Liara asked flowing Shepard as the group continued down another dark corridor.

"This can't be Cerberus." Kaidan stated from behind Liara. "There are none of their staff here, but we know Benezia is and that she's working with Saren."

"I hope those things aren't Saren's" Shepard shouted from the front. "He already has the geth, and he's hiring Krogan. It's safe to assume Benezia came with asari commandos, Liara?" Shepard paused as Liara hummed in response. "So let's hope that Saren doesn't have any more surprises we don't know about."

"Shepard, I think their VI's core is in here!" Tali shouted in delight, stopping to open what appeared to be a utility hatch as everyone else continued past.

"Is there any chance of getting it back online with the facility blacked out?" Shepard asked pulling the group to a halt.

"It's possibly there's a backup power system for its processors and memory. If I bypass..." Tali stopped at the sight of Shepard, Liara and Wrex looking at her blankly, and Garrus smirking to himself. "I might be able to, yes."

At Shepard's nod, the group filed into the small side room, housing what appeared to be a large array of computer, power and ironically, cooling system around a large tower in the centre of the room housing the facility's VI, all hidden within the darkness of the facility. Tali quickly disappeared behind some of the systems for several minutes before an artificial voice seemed to originate from a powered down terminal just in front of the main core.

"Critical start-up error. Virtual intelligence interface offline. Manual boot required."

The room remained quiet for a moment before the orange holographic form of a woman appeared behind the terminal, followed by excited sounds from Tali somewhere out of sight as the gentle orange glow from the woman covered the room.

"It looks like you're trying to restore this facility, would you like help?" The VI chimed, the interface flickering with the power.

"You're the VI that runs this place?" Shepard asked stepping up to the terminal.

"This system is programmed to respond to the name, Mira. May I ask your name?"

"Commander Shepard. I work for the Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."

"One moment please... Unable to confirm, all means of communication in or out of this facility have been severed in accordance with emergency containment procedure. Access to offsite databases is impossible. In accordance with facility restoration procedures, access to power and communications systems has been granted."

"Okay, where is Matriarch Benezia?" Shepard asked.

"I'm sorry, I cannot provide information on the location of any personal in the facility without confirming your authorization. Please make another inquiry."

"Right, how do we restore the facility?"

"In accordance with emergency containment procedures, the main fuel line have been disabled. User Alert! Backup fuel-cells are offline. Emergency power cells are at five percent. VI will lose power in eight minutes. Communication lines have been severed, junctions are located on the facility roof."

"Okay... Tali, can you take care of the communication cables yourself?" Shepard asked, starting back towards the door.

"I should be able to, might need a hand if any of those creatures appear." Tali answered running out from behind the computer.

"Wrex, you're with Tali. **Nothing** happens to her. Liara, you're with Kaidan and me. We'll meet back here once you get the facility reconnected." Shepard ordered as the group disappeared out of the core.

The group disappeared into another service hatch marked "Main Generator" and "Roof Access" entering another pitch black corridor, without the more open space of the facilities main corridors. Tali and Wrex disappeared up an ladder half way to the generator towards the roof, while Shepard's team finally emerged in the large room housing the generator.

As soon as the door opened, six of the creatures turned to glare at them from various positions in the room, including around the fuel tanks for the generator. As the three of them entered the room, Kaidan and Liara's barriers deflected acid flying towards them, before they pulled the insects away from the fuels tanks so the fire from Shepard's assault rifle, or the acid from the creatures didn't rupture them. With the room quickly cleared, Kaidan made his way over to the generator controls to reconnect the fuel lines.

With the generator repaired, the facility slowly began to come back to life. The lights finally flickered on, replacing the darkness through the facility with unbearably bright light, while everyone's eyes adjusted. They quickly made their way back to the VI core, being greeted by the orange form of the VI as it finished updating its status.

"Scanning database. Identity confirmed. Greetings, Commander Shepard, you have been granted complete access to this facility. User Alert! Corporate secrets require specified authorization from a company administrator."

"Where is Matriarch Benezia?" Shepard asked the VI again, praying it would answer this time.

"Matriarch Benezia departed on the facility tramway to the Rift Station subsidiary laboratories. Tramway access is now available."

"What caused the facility shut-down?"

"Stage one alert issued within hot labs. Contaminants released from Laboratory Containment Pod Gamma. Emergency protocols initiated. Stage two alert issued. Lab Isolation Tube breached, all land line connections disconnected. Tramway, and all communications, disabled. Stage three alert issued locally. Contaminants detected in tramway. Facility shut-down, and evacuation ordered." Mira recounted.

"What was the containment that escaped?"

"I'm sorry, Commander. Any information on corporate secrets require administrator access."

"What are the creatures throughout this facility?"

"I'm sorry, Commander. Any information on corporate secrets require administrator access."

"Okay, I'm going to assume they're one and the same. Where are the trams to Rift Station?"

"This site's tram station is located at the end of the main corridor."

"Okay, let's wait for Tali and Wrex, then get moving." Shepard decided.

The group didn't have to wait long before the door to the VI core opened to show Wrex supporting a limping Tali. The suit on Tali's right leg appeared burnt, blood dripping down towards the floor. Shepard rushed over to the quarian as they both tried to walk into the room.

"What happened, is she okay?" She asked in a slight panic.

"I'll be fine Shepard, one of those bugs managed to sneak up behind us. My suit's already seal the rupture off, and it's only a flesh wound. Doctor Chakwas should have the medication to treat any infections or a reaction." Tali replied defensively.

"Fine, but there's no way you're coming with us, or staying here on your own." Shepard responded before turning around to face the other two. "Kaidan, take Tali back to the Mako. See what you can do to patch her up as well."

Shepard watched as the two slowly struggled off towards the Mako, a shotgun in Tali's hand, and a pistol in Kaidan's in case any of the insects appeared. Shepard left Wrex and Liara in the opposite direction, quickly reaching the tramway without any more sightings of any more insects. The tram ran straight into the mountain, finally coming to a halt at another deserted platform. They quickly started to move through the base, always cautious of more insects. Finding several door unlocked, they quickly followed the open path until they came across several security personnel holding a barricade.

After a quick discussion, and repelling an attack, they were only told that Benezia had gone down to the hot labs the day before and not returned. After the emergency was declared, only a single person had emerged, a volus somewhere in the back with the rest of the civilians. With no other leads, the three headed to speak to the volus.

"Was it just me, or did that guard seem a little... unusual?" Liara asked once they were out of earshot.

"He's been on stims for a week. They've been fighting of an unknown enemy. It's enough to make anyone act a little strange," Wrex grumbled.

"Doesn't explain telling us he's not sending his own men down there. It was so out of place. Hopefully we'll know more once we speak to this volus." Shepard asserted.

As they opened the last door to the civilians, they were met with silent stares. Everyone seemed unwilling to help, offering little to know information when asked, leaving them all with no idea of where to go. After quickly searching the room, they found most of the doors out of the area locked down, including what the security personal had named as their fall back plan. Following the facilities signs towards the lab nearest the quarters, with a single volus standing outside, appearing lost while several other scientists were talking in a tight group. As Shepard walked over to the volus, the short person looked up at her from within his suit.

"You came here about them, didn't you?"

"You mean those insects? Do you know anything about them?" She asked, trying not to panic the volus.

"They're rachni." the volus stated, sounding almost lost.

"That's preposterous!" Liara exclaimed. "The rachni went extinct two millennia ago!"

"The most dangerous species in the galaxy. You were stupid enough to bring the most dangerous species in the galaxy back from extinction." Wrex roared.

"So... where did they come from?" Shepard asked, trying to ignore Wrex.

"They found it in a derelict ship. An egg. Drifting through space since the war. It was a Queen. They brought her here to-"

"Shut up! Do you want to get us all killed?" one of the scientists barked across the room.

"I don't have any control over who lives or dies here." The volus answered back to the scientist. "Do you?"

"If you're going to be crazy, be the quiet kind." One of the other scientists spat, before turning their back to the volus.

"Crazy? God, I'm not crazy" The volus replies slowly.

"Look, I need to know everything you can tall be about the rachni." Shepard asked the volus, trying to keep her tone as gentle as she could.

"I told you all I can. We brought the rachni back from the dead. In retrospect, bad idea." he replied lethargically.

"You don't need hind sight to realize that. It's always a bad idea." Wrex growled again.

"Is the queen down in the hot labs?"

The volus seemed just stare at Shepard, leaving her unable to see an expression through the environment suit, before it looked to the ground, muttering "No" repeatedly to himself self, not responding to anything.

Giving up on getting any more information from the volus, Shepard turned to look at Liara and Wrex. "I'm going to assume that the queen isn't down in the hot labs. We still need to go find Benezia, but if we can do something about the rachni, the civilians should all be safe."

"But... every where's locked down. The doors are sealed, and they have active security turrets." Liara protested.

Shepard pointed over her should towards a sealed utility access door on the far side of the room. "Think you can open that Wrex?"

A loud laugh escaped the krogan's throat, before he charged into the door. Shepard and Liara quickly followed, finding themselves in a tunnel cut into the ice, rather than the metal most of the facility was built from. The tunnel appeared to run below several of the seal of sections of the facility, including the security fall back. Eventually, they re-emerged into the facility by Wrex bursting through another door, finding themselves within a large cluster of labs.

"I thought this was meant to be a security centre?" Shepard muttered.

"You really going to trust what that guy told you. Nothing he told us has panned out." Wrex moaned from in front of them, moving towards one of the labs.

"He did seem quite contradictory..." Liara offered quietly.

"Well, we might as well see what's in these labs." Shepard stated as Wrex tore open another door, seeming to pause before stepping through the gap. Shepard followed him, along with Liara.

The three of them found themselves staring up towards a single figure, draped in black, standing just in front of glass tank with the large hulking body of what appeared to be the rachni queen within.

 


	13. Hello Mother

"You do not know the privilege in being a mother. It grants power, to create a life, to influence the world through its actions. Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." The dark female figure said from the platform ahead of them before turning to face the team. "I won't be moved by sympathy, no matter who you bring before me. In fact, I consider this embarrassment an insult."

Liara felt her fists clench as blue energy slowly twisted it's self around her arms at the insult.

"Liara's here because she wants to be, not because I ask her to." Shepard replied defensively.

"Indeed? what have you told her about me, Liara?" Benezia drawled.

"What could I say mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? I haven't spoken to you in decades, what could I possibly tell her, mother?!" Liara exclaimed.

"Have you ever faced an asari, Commander? Few humans have."

"I can't believe you're going to kill your own daughter?" Shepard asked, resisting the urge to pull the trigger on her assault rifle.

"I'm only grateful that you have given me the opportunity to correct my mistake." Benezia hissed while flaring her biotics.

Shepard didn't have time to react before a powerful blue wave of energy swept towards her from Benezia. Liara, in anticipation of the attack, threw a large barrier up around all of them, shielding everyone from the attack. With the brunt of the attack stopped, it only succeeded in knocking them all back several paces, leaving them slightly stunned. As they all recovered, several doors around the room opened to let a large group of asari and commando's in, followed by as many geth.

Shepard placed a hand on Liara's arm, trying to give her a comforting look through each of their helmets. Shepard gently pulled Liara into cover behind a pile of crates, before she opened fire at the geth and asari starting to surround them. Wrex quickly followed Shepard's lead and added his biotics and shotgun to the fray.

Shepard dropped back into cover, looking at Liara as she reloaded. "Can you give me and Wrex time to take out the others?"

Liara looked back towards her mother, glowing with biotic energy, before she reluctantly nodded to Shepard. Liara leapt out of cover as Shepard resumed firing, sending waves of energy at her mother. Benezia easily blocked the energy, seemingly effortlessly, before throwing a far stronger wave back. Liara hesitated as she saw the attack coming, leaving herself too little time block the attack. She managed to quickly throw herself back into the cover Shepard had pulled her into, finding she was now the only one behind it. She took a second to look around, hearing gunshots from towards where the commandos and geth had been positioning themselves.

Quickly regretting the time she took to look around to Shepard, Liara found herself quickly exposed as the crates were thrown to the side. Reacting on instinct, she threw another barrier up around herself, before a warp field collided with it. Seizing the chance as her barrier detonated, Liara threw a wave at her mother, knocking the elder asari off her feet, giving her time to recover. Liara quickly reached the top of the steps to the platform in front of the large tank. Benezia managed to get to her feet, and projected a barrier in front of her before a stasis field collided with it. Liara paused, finally able to see the blank emotionless expression in her mother's face, getting her own barrier up in time to block another powerful wave of energy directed at her.

With the two now face to face, Liara maintained a barrier around herself. Benezia focused increasingly powerful attacks at her daughter, forcing Liara down to the ground with en every shrinking barrier. A brief pause came in the onslaught as Benezia charged another attack, before three gunshots managed to pierce the noise filling the room.

Liara looked up to see her mother clutching her stomach. Purple blood was running down the front of her dress from three gunshot wounds as she keeled over, grabbing onto the handrail around the platform for support. Shepard stepped up from behind Liara, pulling her up to her feet, not releasing the grip on her pistol.

"This is not over. Saren is unstoppable." Benezia hissed from in front of the two.

"You've already lost. Why are you doing this?" Shepard asked, pulling Liara beside her.

"I... I won't betray him. You will... You..." Benezia gasped before pain appeared to overwhelm her. The asari collapsed on the floor, before looking up at them with what somehow appeared to be clearer eyes. "You must listen. I still hear the whispers in my mind. I can fight the compulsions, briefly, but the indoctrination is strong."

"So you could attack us at any moment again. To try and kill your own daughter?" Shepard asked holding Liara.

"Yes, but that is not my will. You... lose yourself around Saren. He has ways to break down your mind. There comes a point where you will do anything for him." Benezia gasped, visibly growing weaker. "The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnought of immense size and unimaginable power. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren seems right, you start to agree with his decisions. You sit and smile as his words pour into you." Benezia sighed, somehow appearing happy at the idea. "It was subtle at first, I thought I could resist. Instead I became his willing slave."

"Why did he send you here?"

"He wanted the location of the Mu Relay. It's position was lost thousands of years ago. Two thousand years ago, the region of the galaxy containing the relay was inhabited by the rachni. Only they could have the location of the relay. Each rachni queen is born with the memories and knowledge of their mother. This queen knows the location of that relay, and now, so does Saren." Benezia appeared to be regretful at her admission, despite slowly losing herself again. "I took the information from her mind. I wasn't gentle. I... I don't know why he needed the information."

"You can make up for your mistake. I need the information to stop Saren." Shepard adjusted the grip on her pistol, lifting it towards Benezia as the asari shifted to her feet.

"I have it on this OSD, I have already sent a copy to Saren."

Liara shifted against Shepard and spoke up to her mother. "The location of the relay isn't enough, do you know where he planned to go from there?"

"I never knew his destination. You must find out quickly, I sent him the coordinates before you arrived. He ordered me to kill you all." Benezia said, slowly lifting an OSD out of her dress, but didn't hold it out. "You have to stop me... The... voices..." Benezia shuddered, dropping the OSD to the ground before she lit up in blue.

Reacting on instinct, Shepard pulled Liara against her chest, burying the asari's face against her neck before her pistol fired a single shot into Benezia's chest. She watched as the aggressive look that had filled Benezia's face drained away, leaving only fear, Liara shuddering against her.

"I'm sorry." Shepard whispered, just loud enough for Liara and Benezia to hear.

Shepard didn't lower her pistol as Benezia fell backwards to land against the tank.

Liara peered round, pushing herself away from Shepard. "Mother!..."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not myself. I never will be again." Benezia rasped, before coughing up blood. "Good night, Little Wing. I will see you again." Benezia looked up from Liara to Shepard, her eyes pleading to the Spectre. "Please."

Liara flinched at the sound of a gunshot, pressing herself back against Shepard as she grabbed onto Shepard's armour. Shepard's pistol fired only once, placing a single shot in Benezia's head. The small calibre left the skull intact with only a single line of blood running down her forehead.

Shepard dropped her pistol as a sob came from Liara. She placed her arms around Liara as Wrex came up from behind them. "I forgot how much fight asari can have in them. Certainly much more than those geth."

Shepard quickly waved the krogan back, easing her grip on Liara. She quickly moved over to her mother, picking up one hand, unable to look at the blood soaked body as tears flooded her eyes. "Goodbye... Mother."

Shepard picked the OSD off of the floor and slipped in into a pocked and stowed her pistol, not taking her eyes off Liara. A shout from behind her, made Shepard jump. She managed to turn around in time to see Wrex trying to pull his shotgun off his back to shoot an incredibly unstable, and almost dead, asari. Shepard quickly gestured for Wrex to lower his weapon as the asari continued slowly, causing the krogan to give her an annoyed look, but didn't fire.

The asari eventually came to a halt beside Benezia, just in front of the large tank, causing Liara to scramble back in surprise. The rachni behind the asari shifted, pressing it's self against the glass as the asari started to talk in a slow pained voice. "This one serves as our voice. We cannot sing, not in these low spaces. Your musics are colourless."

"I don't understand? Musics? Who am I talking to?" Shepard blurted.

"Your way of communicating is strange. It does not colour the air." The asari replied, struggling, and appearing to grow weaker. "We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni."

"How can you speak through her?" Shepard asked walking up tot he glass.

"We sought for a mind to touch, to sing to. She is weak. Her life is ending. Her own musics are bitter-sweet. We sooth, and she sings for us."

"Why are you... singing... to me?" Shepard asked, looking round at the asari. "Do you want to ask me to release you **?** "

"First, we have a request. The children we birthed. They were taken from us before they could sing. They are forever silent." The rachni shifted in its cage, looking Shepard directly in the eyes. "Please, end their suffering. They can only cause harm."

"If it's the only way. What about you?" Shepard asked, looking back at the queen.

"We stand before you. The rachni do not wish conquest. We wish peace. We will go, hide, burrow. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we doomed to fade away once more?"

Shepard looked around at the two behind her, not sure how to react. The rachni were a problem while humans were still running around fighting each other with swords.

Wrex started towards the tank, still pointing his shotgun at the asari. "You can't let this thing loose. The rachni almost conquered the entire galaxy."

Liara stood up, trying to straighten herself out as she glared at Wrex. "The council let the krogan go too far. They shouldn't have wiped out the rachni. This is a chance to make up for their mistake."

Shepard turned back to the rachni. "She's done nothing wrong, and I won't condemn her species to extinction, or her to death, for something she hasn't done." Shepard moved over to the controls for the cage, starting the procedure to open the seal.

Wrex stepped closer, glaring at Shepard. "This is a mistake, you can't let her go!" He didn't have a chance to say anything else as alarms started ringing through the lab while the tank started to rise towards what appeared to be a service tunnel to the mountain's surface. "You're going to regret this Shepard."

With everything in the lab now resolved, Shepard started towards the lab's entrance. "We need to go, we've still got the rachni problem in the hot labs."

Wrex followed Shepard without question, but Liara paused for a moment, staring at her mother's body before following them.

* * *

The ride down to the hot labs proved arduous. The elevator wasn't meant to be used to reach the lab in anything other than an emergency, so It was small and slow. The security personnel had been able to give them security codes for the lab's systems, once Shepard had informed them that Benezia was dead. Apparently she'd ordered them to send Shepard to the hot lab, before leaving them petrified fighting the hoard of insects coming up through the shaft, presumably trying to find their queen, or food. Surprisingly, the shaft appeared empty, despite the expectation of the shaft to be filled with rachni, leaving them nothing to do except wait.

Half way down the shaft, Wrex was the first to say anything. "You pack a punch asari. Matriarchs are powerful."

Shepard gave Wrex a glare, or as much of one as she could through her breather mask, not happy with him bringing up Liara's mother. Liara however reached out to grab Shepard's hand, but replied calmly. "My mother always saw I received the best tutoring, that included biotics."

"Just glad to see you know which side you're on." The krogan grunted as the look on Liara face soured slightly, Shepard's shifting to fury.

Before anyone could say anything, the elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open. The lab was a large open space, hovering deep in the mountain, connected to the outside by only the elevator shaft they had come down, and a tram line, which appeared to have been caved in. A single walkway led from the elevator towards a small room at the far end of the lab, and what appeared to be an elevator running to various floors in the lab. The walkway was encased in glass, or had been. Shards lay scattered across the metal floor where sections had been shattered, presumably how the rachni were getting out of the hot lab.

The three started walking towards the far end, quickly, but quietly, trying to avoid stepping on glass. The walls, floor and ceiling of the large lab were crawling with insects, barely visible in the dim light. Several minutes later, they managed to walk into the room unobstructed, finding themselves face to face with Mira, the VI.

"Hello again Commander Shepard, is there-" The VI chimed before Shepard interrupted.

"Set your volume to the minimum setting." Shepard hissed. "I need to activate the hot lab's security system, and cleanse the lab."

"This facility is equipped with a short range neutron bomb for emergency sterilisation." the VI replied, barely audible. "Full security clearance is required for activation." Shepard pulled up the code the security personnel had given her, reciting it to the VI before it continued. "Neutron purge activated. Warning! Detonation will occur in two minutes."

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, stepping back towards the rooms exit before an alarm filled the lab. Shepard froze, cursing under her breath as the noise of what sounded like thousands of legs all started rushing their owners towards the only exit.

All three of them broke into a sprint towards the elevator at the far end. Wrex and Shepard each pulled their shotguns out, firing at rachni starting to pour through the glass. Liara tried to help, but after the beating she had endured fighting Benezia, she was worn out. With the path filling up in front and behind them, Wrex and Shepard were forced to switch to just keeping the rachni away, rather than making progress, leaving them stranded, with a ticking clock moving closer to zero.

Mira announced through the PA system as the clock reached sixty seconds, causing panic to grip Liara. She looked around, panting, from the floor, watching as the rachni inched closer. Pushing herself to her feet before the asari bathed herself in energy. Liara stepped up beside Wrex with a look of determination on her face, before a large wave of energy swept along the walkway towards the lift, clearing the path. Liara slumped, exhausted, collapsing against the shocked krogan. Not missing the opportunity Wrex threw Liara over a shoulder and grabbed Shepard by her arm, pulling her back towards the elevator. They both broke into a sprint, only coming to a halt once they were inside the elevator, and firing back towards the swarm. The two only stopped firing once the doors had sealed, and the elevator was moving up towards Rift Station.

Thankfully, the doors appeared to be shielded, while the rock and ice surrounding the facility reduced the effective range of the bomb. Relieved, Wrex dropped Liara to the floor, before he and Shepard collapsed on either side of her.

* * *

 

"Are they okay?" Ash asked, concern filling her voice as she looked at the still bloody leg of Tali, and Liara, who appeared to be half asleep.

"They'll be fine. Tali could use some care, but Liara should just need something to eat, and a rest." Shepard answered, helping Liara out, followed by Wrex carrying Tali.

After dropping the two of them off in the sick bay, and collecting Garrus, who had only suffered a minor fracture that was easily repaired, they moved up to the CIC and comm room to join the rest of the team to go over the mission.

"So, what's next Commander," Ash asked once everyone had sat down. "head for the Mu Relay?"

"The Mu relay could link to dozens of systems. It would take could take us weeks, or even months to search them all." Shepard stated. "If Saren already knows where to look, we've missed something. If he doesn't, we still have time to find out."

"Still, we don't have any more leads. We need something to point us in the right direction," Ash protested.

"Something will turn up. It can't be easy of that flagship of his to pass by unnoticed. You saw that thing." Shepard insisted. "Look, we're all tired, it's been a hard day. Let's all go take a break."

Everyone got up to leave, looking pleased to get a chance to relax, but Garrus appeared unable to resist a joke. "So, giant, ancient, sentient plants just aren't good enough for you. You had to go find the greatest threat the galaxy has ever face. Rachni."

"You know me Garrus, I had to go one bigger," Shepard laughed. "Still, the reapers seem to be vying for the top spot on that list Garrus."

"Always after a bigger fight." Ash laughed, passing the two of them on her way out of the comm room.

Shepard sighed, grinning, as everyone filed out before Joker's voice came over the comm.  _"Guess who feels like giving you a pat on the back, Commander."_

"Put them through." Shepard sighed, turning round to face the Council as their holograms formed. "Good evening, Councillors. What can I do for you?"

The turian Councillor glared at her in response. "What can you do for us? You released the rachni back into the galaxy. Do you have any idea how long it will take them before they can overrun the Citadel Fleet?"

"I don't know, Councillor, but this queen isn't interested in conquest. She even seemed to regret what her ancestors did." Shepard replied calmly.

"Or so She claims. You took the word of an insect, Shepard, a bug. The rachni are a blight on the galaxy." He argued.

Before Shepard could interrupt, the Salarian Councillor cut in. "It is unlikely the rachni would be able to pose as significant a threat as they did in the past. The galaxy is far more populated, with more wide-spread colonies. To build a force capable of invasion in secret would be almost impossible."

Having remained silent so far, the Asari Councillor moved to close the comm. "We have a lead on Saren that might interest you, Commander. We believe we have the location of a facility he controls on the planet Virmire. We have a STG team on the planet that has been investigating Saren's activities. We received a message from them several hours ago."

"Unfortunately, what we received was merely static." The Salarian Councillor explained. "They are obviously in a situation where they cannot set up proper communications, but this was sent on a channel reserved for mission critical information. We thought you would like to investigate."

"Of course. Thank you Councillors." Shepard replied before two of the holograms faded, leaving only the Asari Councillor. "I will need to speak with you later about the circumstances of Benezia's death, Commander. Her involvement with Saren has been kept quiet thus far, it would be best if we could avoid a political incident."

"I will do my best Councillor." Shepard stated before the last hologram faded, leaving her in the comm room by herself. She quietly moved back to a seat, cupping her head in her hands as she exhaled. _I killed her mother. How could she ever forgive me._

Without thinking, Shepard marched off the ship, deciding she needed something to drink.

* * *

Liara looked up at the loud knock from the door to her room. Chakwas had quickly dismissed her from the medbay, only insisting that she ate, and got a good night's sleep. The food however, sat untouched on her desk, while she was curled up on her bed in the corner of the room.

"Come in." She said quietly between sobs.

The doors opened to reveal a rather unhappy looking Wrex, who surprisingly, didn't appear angry. He slowly stepped into the small room, looking around for a seat, deciding the was better off not trying the flimsy chair at the desk, and settled on a storage crate in the corner of the room opposite Liara. She watched him quietly with large eyes as he entered, but didn't move from her spot on the bed.

Looking remarkably uncomfortable, they both sat in silence for a few moments before Wrex finally managed to work out what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. To a krogan, clan is meant to mean everything."

"I understand Wrex. You are not the first person here to not trust me because of my mother." Liara answered, smiling weakly. "Just the first to try and kill me because of it."

"You fought with us against Benezia, kid. I've fought asari before. You might not look like it, but asari can really back a punch, especially with your biotics." Wrex paused as Liara looked down, appearing to be more upset. "Look, I know what you're going through, kid. I killed my own father, back on Tuchanka."

"What happened?" Liara asked through a layer of tears.

"He betrayed me. The krogan have all betrayed each other after the genophage. I was in control of a small tribe a few centuries ago, trying to rebuild what we once were. I told everyone we should focus on breeding, but Jarrod just wanted to fight. Turians, Salarians, other krogan, it didn't matter to him." Wrex sighed. "To put it simply, he was pissed. His own son telling him what to do, jealousy doesn't suit warlords. He arranged a meeting for us at an old burial ground, The Hollows. It's as sacred as any location can be to the krogan. Violence is forbidden."

Liara shuddered. "He laid a trap?"

"He did, I expected as much, but I couldn't say no. As soon as it became clear I wasn't going to change my mind, the shooting started." Wrex growled. "They quickly killed those I had taken with me, I barely got out of there alive, but not before I sank my dagger deep into my father's chest." He paused as Liara shuddered at the image. "Jarrod and Benezia both had to die to do what was right. The krogan need to stop fighting, and we need to stop Saren. Take comfort that Benezia wanted to die, an end to Saren's control over her."

Liara managed a faint smile at the towering krogan. "Thank you Wrex. You are right, her death was a mercy. I'm just sorry she's gone."

"You should speak to Shepard." Wrex said as he stood up. "She'll be beating herself up over this, and she doesn't deserve that. She did the right thing. The Doctor asked that I make sure you've eaten as well. I'll tell her you're about finished?"

Liara sighed, looking at the full plate. "I suppose I really should eat something. I'll see you later Wrex, thank you, again." She replied giving him a warm smile.

* * *

Shepard had managed to wander into what she assumed was the corporate world's version of a convenience store, or Noveria's version anyway. Given the high prices of most of the alcohol in the store, Shepard ended up picking up a bottle that appeared to be a local speciality, and offered the most alcohol for her money. Not waiting to go to the check out, she opened the bottle and took a swig, while continuing to browse the store. The salarian behind the counter appeared rather unhappy about the situation, but the armour and weaponry she was still wearing appeared enough to convince him not to do anything. Unable to find much in the way of junk food she could eat without throwing her military diet off, she ended up grabbing a box of what she knew were expensive chocolates and went straight for the checkout.

Five minutes later, she strode back onto the Normandy, ordering Joker to set a course to Virmire and disappeared down the crew deck, and her quarters to try to forget about the day. Half way down the bottle, and defiantly drunk, a knock at the door caught Shepard's attention.

"Who's there?" Shepard shouted from her bed at the opposite side of the room, pushing herself up to sit at the foot of the bed. Panic hit her as Liara replied, but deciding that the worst option would be to not let her in, Shepard called for her to enter, squinting in the dim room to make out the figure standing in the bright doorway.

Liara stared into the dark room, barely able to make out the shape of Shepard sat on the bed, clutching at a bottle. Closing the door behind her, she slowly walked in, letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the room. Grateful Shepard wouldn't be able to see how swollen her eyes were from crying, she decided to do what she came for before her nerve failed. "I... just wanted to say thank you, Shepard, for what you did for my mother. It was terrible to see her like that, being forced to obey someone else's will." Unable to come up with any other possible response, Shepard just held out the bottle she was holding to Liara. She took the bottle, but sat down next to Shepard, staring at the contents. "She used to be such a loving person. We may have had our differences, but she was always kind. She never tried to stop me from doing anything I wanted, even if she did disapprove."

"She was your mother, of course she loved you. It was her job to encourage you, to want what's best for you" Shepard stated.

Liara took an eager drink from the bottle, before choking on the strong, and completely alien taste of the drink. She could swear she could feel it burning her throat after she swallowed it, although decided it was probably an after-taste.

"I... I just want to remember her the way she was, my mother. Not what Saren turned her into." Liara sobbed, handing the bottle back to Shepard. Shepard took another swig from the half empty bottle, before passing Liara the open box of chocolates from somewhere behind her, having barely touched them once the alcohol had started to take effect.

They both looked at Shepard's omni-tool in surprise as it started ringing, the display identifying the caller as Tevos. Curious, Shepard answered the video call, to find a life size version of the asari councillor appearing in her cabin. "Councillor, erm... Hey." Shepard managed, struggling to think clearly with this much alcohol in her system.

The councillor frowned, taking in the image of the half empty bottle in Shepard's hand not supporting her omni-tool. "Please Shepard, I am not calling on behalf of the council... You do know Noverian Rum is illegal in council space?" Tevos waved her own question off, wanting to get to other matters. "Call me Tevos, I am calling on behalf of the Asari Republic. One of our most prominent matriarchs has died, and under terrible circumstances. Unfortunately, I need to ask how responsible she was for the circumstances in which you found her?"

Shepard looked over to Liara beside her, who was sniffing a chocolate after a decidedly unpleasant experience with the contents of Shepard's bottle. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious as she saw the Councillor's gaze shift to her.

"I think Liara might be better able to answer that question." Shepard answered reluctantly, laughing to herself as she saw Liara blush. She quickly regretted putting Liara in the headlights, as Liara appeared to grow closer to tears again, forcing Shepard to answer. "Benezia was completely under Saren's control. She was able to overcome his influence for a short period of time, and provided us with valuable information to help us stop Saren."

"I'm pleased to hear it Shepard. I shall do everything I can to see to it that Matriarch Benezia, and yourself, Doctor T'Soni, are not cast in a bad light by these events." Shepard could swear there was a small smirk growing on Tevos's face as she talked. "I assume Noveria's administrators will see to it that her body is preserved correctly?"

"We left instructions, but you will probably want to have someone contact them directly." Shepard replied, starting to feel uncomfortable as Tevos's smirk continued to grow.

"If it's okay with you, Doctor T'Soni, the Matriarchs would like to arrange her funeral? She is a prominent figure, and it would go a long way to maintaining her reputation." Tevos asked.

Liara only managed to hum a response, causing Shepard to look round at the asari next to her, finding Liara trying to lick her fingers clean. The box of chocolates sat on her lap, empty, while Liara looked incredibly guilty. Shepard and Tevos both burst out in laughter, not making any attempt to hide it.

Liara felt her cheeks turning a dark shade of blue, wishing she hadn't just devoured the whole box in front of the asari Councillor. "I would like to insist on several details, but I have no objections if the Matriarchs wish to organise it. It is probably they who knew her better these last few decades, rather than myself."

"Very well, I will contact you once arrangements start to be made. Good night to you both." Tevos finished with a slight bow of her head before the line closed, leaving Shepard giggling at the embarrassed asari next to her, still trying to clean her fingers.


	14. Paradise

"I hate these things!"Ash shouted as another energy blast hit the side of the walkway.

The Normandy's stealth drive had allowed them to land on Virmire undetected, but getting anywhere near Saren's facility, and the salarians' camp, would require flying within visual range of the AA guns.

Shepard glanced back to the opposite side of the walkway as she slammed in another thermal clip. "We need to get to the Mako."

Another energy blast hit the walkway, shaking the low wall they were using for cover. "We'll never manage to get out of there before it fires another shot." Kaidan complained, emptying his clip at the Colossus.

"What happened to your magic shooting, Garrus? We could do with you dropping this thing in one shot." Shepard laughed, jabbing the Turian in the back.

"That was an Armature, and it's shields were down." Garrus replied defensively. "At least give me a rocket launcher."

"Sorry Garrus, all out. Do you think you guys can keep it's attention for a few minutes?" Shepard asked, slipping her assault rifle onto her back.

Everyone gave her a quick nod before the next blast hit the walkway. As several overloads, and heavy gunfire started to rain down on the colossus's shields, Shepard crawled along below the cover, away from her team and out of the fire. Their fire halted as the eye piece began to charge with energy. As the hum of the shot hitting the walkway by her team faded, Shepard broke from cover, sprinting towards the far side of the walkway.

Garrus dropped back behind the wall as his assault rifle whined in protest. The rest of the team followed him into cover, their own weapons overheating. Shepard was out of sight, leaving them on their own against a colossus.

"So... how exactly is Shepard going to handle the driving, and the gun?" Ash asked replacing her thermal clip.

"She can barely drive that thing!" Kaidan shouted as another blast hit the wall at their backs.

The three of them lifted themselves over the wall in time to see the colossus lowering it's gaze towards the wall and doorway below them. As they started firing a motor roared somewhere behind them, catching everyone's attention.

"She's not...?" Kaidan asked starting to sound worried.

"She wouldn't... She's not...?" Garrus stuttered, looking stunned as they heard the roar again.

The Mako lurched forwards, surging around and under the walkway. The colossus began charging it's cannon. The rover flew into the large geth, forcing the slender legs out from beneath the quadruped. Continuing to accelerate, the Mako passed under the belly of the colossus, leaving it face down in the shallow water and sand that ran along the base of the cliff.

"She did," Ash groaned.

As the geth platform attempted to make it's way back to it's feet, Shepard reversed the direction of the Mako, stopping with two of the rear tires forcing the head and neck down, slowly bending beneath the weight of the vehicle sitting on top of it. Shepard stepped out of the Mako, to a shower of sparks as the neck finally snapped, leaving the limbs limp on the ground.

"You really can't drive!" Garrus yelled, grinning as he held his assault rifle over his shoulder.

"You're just jealous, ya big chicken." Shepard laughed. "Now get down here before they decide to send another army to investigate."

The Normandy only now flying overhead drowned out the response from her team as Joker's voice came over a comm line.  _"We've got a clear flight to the salarians' camp Commander. We'll see you on the ground in a few minutes."_

* * *

With most of the geth between them and the STG camp, they managed to arrive without any more lengthy fire fights. Joker, however, radioed them several minutes after they set off, with bad news, suggesting they speak to the salarian captain once they arrived. Shepard had barely pulled the Mako to a stop, let alone powered it down, before Ash and Kaidan leapt from the door, starting towards a salarian that appeared to be waiting for them. By the time Shepard caught up with them, most of her team, including Tali using a pair of crutches, had joined them from the Normandy.

"What do you mean we're grounded?!" Ash exclaimed. "What do we do now?!"

"Stay put until we can come up with a plan." The salarian replied calmly to her.

"Are you in charge here?" Shepard asked, pushing her way past Wrex towards the salarian. "What's the situation?"

"I'm Captain Kirrahe, Third infiltration regiment, STG. You and your crew have just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence." The captain explained. "I just can't work out why they didn't manage to shoot you down on the way in."

"The Normandy's got a few tricks up her sleeve, and a damn good pilot." Shepard smirked, praying Joker wasn't listening in somehow. "So what do we do? You sent a message to the council, we assumed you had a plan."

"We do, but we need to sit tight until we receive the reinforcements we requested."

"We are the reinforcements." Kaidan calmly stated.

"What? We requested a fleet. Why would they just send you with all of the intelligence we sent them?" The Captain asked sounding worried.

"Your transmission was blocked, we just received static. The council informed me, and asked us to investigate."

"That is a repetition of our task." Kirrahe complained. "I've already lost almost half of my men  _investigating_  this place."

"So what did you find that led you to call in a Citadel fleet?" Garrus asked from just over Shepard's shoulder.

The salarian Captain sighed, clearly not thrilled at the prospect of repeating what he'd tried to report to the Council. "This is Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here, and it's crawling with geth. Not to mention the huge levels of fortification he's managed to construct."

"What kind of research is he conducting here, and is he here overseeing it himself?" Shepard asked, glad that they may actually have the chance of dealing a blow to Saren, rather than just chasing after him.

"We haven't had any sign that Saren is here, but given the size of the facility, it's not impossible. As for his research, we don't know much about it. But, we do know that he is also using the site to breed a krogan army."

"Krogan army!" Wrex exclaimed, so far just hanging around at the back of the group. "How is that possible?" he asked, pushing his way towards the small salarian that had just caught his attention.

"Apparently Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage," the salarian replied, seemingly too uncomfortable to actually look at Wrex.

"Right, what actually is the genophage? I've heard a lot of people talking about it, but no one really seems to actually say anything. What is it?" Shepard asked, looking between the salarian and krogan in front of her.

"It was the solution to the krogan problem," Wrex spat at the salarian.

"We introduced the genophage into the krogan population to quell their numbers after the uprising. It was the end to the Krogan Rebellions" Kirrahe answered, still not looking at Wrex. "Without it, they are capable of conquering the galaxy. The fact that these krogan follow Saren just makes things worse."

"A krogan army? I though Saren was just hiring mercenaries. But if he had an entire army of them, in addition to the geth, he'd be almost unstoppable."

"That was the thoughts of my team exactly. We concluded that the only option was to destroy the facility, and it's secrets."

" **Destroy it!** I don't think so! This cure can save my people." Wrex roared.

"If that cure leaves this planet, the krogan become a threat to all other life in the galaxy. We can't make the same mistake twice." Kirrahe replied, not showing any fear, despite the angry krogan snarling at him.

" **We are not a mistake!** " Wrex roared again, before walking off towards the water, shoving the salarian aside as he passed.

"Is he going to be a problem?" Kirrahe asked quickly regaining his composure. "We already have enough angry krogan to deal with."

"I'll go talk to him. He'll listen to me," Shepard replied quietly, before muttering "I hope" to herself.

"I would appreciate that Commander. My men and I need some time to rethink our plan of attack. Since we don't have a fleet on the way, bombarding the site is no longer an option." Kirrahe replied gratefully before walking back into the tent that appeared to be serving as his command centre.

"Looks like this place is a bit of a mess."Kaidan muttered once Kirrahe was out of earshot.

"I wouldn't be as worried if it wasn't for the giant krogan about to switch sides and kill us all," Ash groaned, looking towards the large reptile looking out to the ocean.

"I'll take care of Wrex, he'll listen to me." Shepard offered, not sounding very reassured herself. "You may want to find somewhere out of sight to set up with a rifle, just in case."

Shepard left the remaining crew, slowly approaching the large krogan pointing his shotgun towards the water. She flinched as the shotgun fired, the blast echoing off the cliffs behind them both. Wrex surprised her by being the first one to start talking.

"This isn't right Shepard. If there's a cure for the genophage we need to get it. This can save my people!"

Taking his willingness to talk as a good sign, Shepard continued towards Wrex. "I understand you're upset Wrex. I understand this is hard for you, but we both know that Saren is a threat to the entire galaxy, your race included. He's the one you should be angry with."

"Really? Saren created a cure for my people. You, and those salarians, want to destroy it. Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friends and foe are getting a little blurry from where I stand," Wrex growled, turning around to glare at Shepard.

"This isn't a cure Wrex." Shepard stated, advancing on the krogan. "This is a weapon. Against everyone. The krogan certainly won't see the benefits of this. No one will."

"That is a chance we should be willing to take. This is the future of my entire race we're talking about here. You've never lied to me Shepard, you've always said things as they are. You were even right about that little Asari you keep, but I need to know this is the right thing to do." Wrex bellowed, raising his shotgun to point at Shepard's chest.

Shepard felt her fist tightening around the but of her shotgun as she listened to Wrex dismissing Liara as a pet. Trying to stay calm, she exhaled before replying along the barrel of her shotgun. "These aren't your people Wrex, they'd Saren's slaves. If he has his way, that's what every krogan will become. Is that what you want for them? For you?"

Wrex shifted uncomfortably for a second before he replied. "No, were we tools for the Council once, and to thank us they neutered us all." Wrex spat, watching as Shepard slowly lowered her shotgun. "I doubt Saren would be as generous." The two paused, staring at each other with Wrex's shotgun still aimed at Shepard's chest, until the stalemate finally broke. "Okay Shepard, we'll do this your way. I don't like it, but I trust you. Just one thing, when we find Saren, I want his head."

"I'm starting to agree with you." Shepard muttered, watching as Wrex replaced his shotgun onto his back. She breathed a sigh of relief before her fist slammed up into Wrex's bottom Jaw as the soft thump of Shepard's shotgun hitting the ground made him look down. The bones slammed it closed with a crunch, leaving the krogan looking surprised. " **Never**  point a gun at me Wrex." She didn't wait for a response before she lifted her knee and slammed her foot straight into the armor plate between Wrex's legs, causing a grunt to escape Wrex. "And  **never**  speak about a member of my crew like that, especially Liara!"

Wrex looked off to the side, before spitting out a mouthful of blood, and what appeared to be several teeth. He looked back to Shepard with a thin line of blood seeping out of his mouth causing the Commander flinched. "You pack a quad, Shepard."

As the surprise of not being hit back faded, Shepard managed to respond. "Look, If the opportunity ever comes up, at all, to help the krogan, to cure the genophage, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"We've got a turian to kill first." Wrex stated, looking off in the direction of Saren's facility.

Shepard turned back towards the camp with Wrex following her, looking like he was in a fair amount of pain. "That we do."

* * *

"Thank you for speaking with the krogan, we have a hard enough mission ahead of us as it is." Kirrahe said as he ran back out to Shepard and Wrex's return.

"I do have a name." The krogan muttered from behind Shepard, but none of them made any further comment on it.

"I'm going to guess that means you have a plan?" Shepard asked looking hopeful as her crew started to gather around again.

"Of sorts," he replied, looking anything but optimistic. "We can convert our Ship's drive core into a twenty-kiloton ordinance. Crude, but effective.

"Excellent, drop that sucker from orbit, and watch the place burn." Ash cheered.

"Unfortunately the facility is too well guarded for that. We need to place the device at a precise location on the other side of the facility. Your ship can drop it off, but we need to disable the AA towers, and pacify any forces on the ground," the Captain explained.

"We don't have anywhere near the number of forces for an all out frontal attack," Kaidan stated in alarm from behind Shepard. "We'll get slaughtered."

"It is risky, but there's no other option, and we do have a workaround." Kirrahe assured them. "I'm going to divide my forces into three teams, and hit the front of the facility. While we have their attention, your shadow team will sneak in around the back."

"Your men will still get massacred." Shepard gaped.

"We're tougher than we look Commander, but... no, it's likely that most of us won't make it back." he looked down uncomfortable before continuing. "And that makes what I'm going to ask even more difficult. I need one of your men to accompany me to help coordinate the teams. They will need to be familiar with you communication protocols."

"I volunteer." Ash and Kaidan said in unison, stepping forwards.

"Lieutenant, the commander will need you to man the bomb. I should be the one to go." Ash insisted.

"With all due respect, Chief, that's not your decision to make." Kaidan shouted back at Ash.

"Why is that whenever someone says  _with all due respect_ , they really mean  _kiss my ass?_ " Ash snapped back at the Lieutenant.

"Kaidan, you've got the most experience with explosives of anyone on my team, I need you to set the bomb. Ash, you're with Kirrahe," Shepard ordered. " **No**  heroics, understood?"

"Aye-Aye Commander." She replied calmly.

"I volunteer as well." Wrex muttered from the back, followed by everyone looking round at him in shock. "If those krogan are on the field, there isn't a single team member with them that can take them down. Plus, someone needs to show Saren what a real krogan can do." He continued, giving the Salarian Captain a determined look."

"I... I can hardly refuse given the odds facing my men. With your permission Commander?" Kirrahe nervously asked. Shepard replied with a nod before the Captain continued. "Glad to have you Wrex, we could certainly use a heavy hitter."

"Right, if there's nothing else, we'll leave you to prepare your men and the bomb." With the captain leaving to organize the attack, Shepard turned back to everyone gathered behind her. "You'd better follow his orders Wrex."

"Don't worry Shepard. If anyone is capable of curing the genophage, it's that race of pyjaks. If there's ever going to be a cure, we need to get them onto our side," Wrex smirked.

"New you, Wrex?" Shepard laughed. "I think I like him."

"Just a very old one." Wrex shrugged, giving Liara a gentle nudge beside him.

"Right, Tali, you're staying on the Normandy. You'll just be a liability at the minute. Liara-"

"Don't worry, I'll stay on the ship." She cut in, not wanting to make a big deal out of staying behind.

"You're with me, I need someone that can overpower a krogan since the salarians get Wrex." Shepard continued, ignoring the interruption. Liara gulped under the pressure before looking at Garrus. "Up for out shooting a few geth?"

Garrus smirked back at her. "At least give me a challenge."

"Let's not wish for things to get any harder, okay Garrus?" Shepard laughed turning to face Kaidan and Ash. You'll be on the ship Kaidan. Stay with the bomb when we deploy it."

"Aye ma'am." he replied stiffly, but not willing to question her orders.

"Going to be weird... you know." Ash sighed to both of them. "Going under someone else's command."

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Same goes for you as Wrex though, follow Kirrahe's orders."

"Don't worry Skipper." Ash said patting Shepard on the arm, "I should go get familiar with their command structure."

"Yeah, I should probably go help convert their drive core," Kaidan said as the two of them walked off towards the salarian ship and Kirrahe.

"Not going over Wrex?" Shepard asked looking back to the krogan.

"Nah, I don't want to scare them all," he laughed.

"Fair enough." Shepard stated, starting towards the Normandy's open cargo bay. "So... since we've got some time to kill, exactly why didn't you recognise the rachni when you first saw them?"

"I wasn't alive during that war Shepard, I'm not that old." Wrex huffed.

"No, I just meant... not  _that_  old, how old are you exactly?" Shepard asked in surprise.

"I've seen the last six centuries. It gets rather hard to keep track exactly," Wrex answered begrudgingly, "And do we really strike you as the sentimental type?"

"Point taken," Shepard said quietly, watching as the krogan stormed past her into the ship.

"So where the hell do you keep the ice?" The krogan bellowed from within the cargo bay, causing the team still around her to snicker, since Wrex's walk had continued to become more awkward since his encounter with Shepard's boot.

* * *

Shepard always hated the waiting. If there was a mission to be done, she wanted to do it, not sit around cleaning her weapons, waiting for someone else to give the order to go. Unfortunately, since they needed to convert a drive core into a bomb, that's exactly what happened, sat on the floor of the cargo bay with her assault rifle in pieces. With most of the crew preparing the ship for the assault on the Saren's base the hold was almost empty, apart from crew passing through towards the engineering level. One figure walking out of the lift towards the weapons lockers did however catch her eye.

"Are you still okay to go on this mission Liara? The odds are defiantly stacked against us." Shepard asked, not looking over at the assault of blue from Liara wearing the padded suit to go with her armor.

"I wouldn't be any happier left on the Normandy." the Asari stated, pulling armor plates out of her locker. "Besides, you need me."

"Well, apart from Wrex, you're the only one I've got that can stop a krogan in their tracks." Shepard sighed slotting her rifle back together.

"Well, I'll be much happier knowing that no one is going to to let a krogan crush you against a wall." Liara replied with a forced laugh, leaving the two of them in silence.

Shepard quickly finished the assembly of her rifle, returning it to the holster on her back before while Liara struggled to assemble her armour. Shepard climbed back up to her feet before walking over to the asari. She placed her hands over Liara's, taking hold of the ceramic. Gently, Shepard pressed the plate into Liara's back, until the fastening just beneath the plate clicked, and each of the weapon slots powered up. "Takes practice." Shepard whispered to the asari, before returning to her spot on the floor.

Feeling slightly confused, and strangely warm in the climate controlled suit, Liara quickly placed the last of the plates onto her legs. She pulled the only weapon she planned to carry, her pistol, out of her locker, before shutting it, and sitting down against Shepard in silence. They both stared out of the open cargo door towards the golden beach just beyond, and the water lapping at the soft sand.

"I love the sound of water." Liara said quietly, resting her head against Shepard's shoulder. She waited silently for a reply until she decided it never came. "It always reminds me of home."

The two continued to sit in silence until Shepard decided to speak. "I don't want you on this mission... but... I don't have a choice," she sighed in defeat.

"I'll be okay Shepard. Trust me," Liara whispered.

"I do." Shepard insisted, placing her hand in Liara's. "I just have a bad feeling about this mission."

Liara squeezed Shepard's hand, "I'll be okay. We'll all be okay."

The two watched as six of the ship's crew members walked along the beach holding what appeared to be a large metal ball between them. "We should get ready." Shepard muttered climbing to her feet and opening a comm. "Garrus, time to go."

* * *

" _Shepard, can you hear me?"_

"Loud and clear Williams," Shepard replied to her helmet. "Beach seems clear for now. It would probably make quite a good location for a resort actually."

Shepard's team was working their way along and around the coast towards the base of Saren's facility. The salarians had found a route up the cliff, and were weaving a path through the dense jungle towards the main entrance of Saren's base, while Shepard's team was working towards what was believed to be a drain for the labs, emptying straight out into the planets oceans. Unfortunately a small, highly eroded peninsula was between them and the outlet.

After starting to move between the tall spires of rock that remained, Ash was heard over the comm again.  _"We're in position, Shepard. Just give us the word when you're ready."_

"Looks like Saren has a structure up ahead. We're good to go when you are." Shepard replied, checking her thermal clip one last time.

_"Kirrahe here Commander, we'll open fire now. The numbers are against us, so any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated."_

"Understood, Shepard out." Shepard answered closing her side of the comm. "You two ready?"

"Yes Shepard." Garrus and Liara replied from each side of her.

"Find a good nest Garrus, let's see if we can't cause them a bit of trouble." Shepard ordered, dashing towards a rocky outcrop. "Liara, stay on my heels."

The first shot from Garrus dropped a geth, alerting the rest to their presence, quickly setting up their own shields to protect them from fire. Shepard's assault rifle quickly overwhelmed several of the shields, leaving Liara too throw the geth out into the open, where Shepard and Garrus easily destroyed them. With the small outpost quickly cleared of geth, the three of them moved up to look over the systems.

"What have we got, Garrus?" Shepard asked kicking a geth unit over.

"Looks like targeting for something. Probably to help triangulation or the defence turrets." Garrus replied from a console.

Shepard fired her shotgun casually into a power box before looking towards the ramp down. "Let's get moving again. Longer we hang around here, the more time the geth have."

As they stepped back into the shallow water at their feet, Kirrahe's voice came over the comm.  _"Their heavy turrets are down. All teams press forwards to the edge of the jungle."_

Encountering only a small patrol at they reached the far side of the peninsula, the team made quick progress towards their entrance to the facility. As another of Saren's site's came into view, Kirrahe's voice came over the comm again.  _"They're calling for satellite strikes against out positions. If anyone can see a weak spot, take advantage of it."_

Shepard squinted at the site clinging tot he edge of the cliff, a large satellite disk sitting on the top. "Think you can do anything about their signal Garrus?" Shepard asked gesturing towards the site.

"Need to get a bit closer." Garrus complained, looking into his scope.

Shepard broke out of cover sprinting towards the facility, opening a line of communication to the Normandy. "Joker, can you get to orbit?"

" _Sorry Shepard, AA towers are still online, they'll shoot us down before we get to five thousand feet."_

Shepard's rifle lit up, spraying the site with fire before Joker even finished his reply. She managed to duck into cover just as fire started hitting around her. Liara landed beside her, throwing a barrier up to shield them as Garrus stopped just short of the rock with his sniper out. Quickly taking his shot, they all watched as one of the supports on the satellite disk appeared to give way, dropping the disk off the roof, taking several geth with it. Shepard and Garrus quickly took out the remainder, before they all continued along the narrowing beach.

 _"Satellites aren't firing, find a weak spot Shepard?"_ Ash asked over the comm.

"Don't make me find too many, or they'll realize something's wrong." Shepard responded.

They approached Saren's site at what appeared to be a outlets from the site's generator. They quickly cleared the geth guarding the outlets, leaving the empty tunnel beside that lead up towards the lab facilities clea when more chatter came over the comm.

 _"Their air cover is retreating to refuel, take the opportunity to find cover men."_ Kirrahe ordered his teams over the open comm.

"Can we do anything to help them?" Garrus asked, watching as a swarm of drones appeared from over the facility, heading towards what appeared to be a spire sticking directly out from the cliff.

"If we shoot anything on that platform, they'll know we're down here." Shepard incised, looking up towards where Garrus's rifle was aimed. "Can you see any damaged drones?"

"Got a few that can't fly straight, what are you thinking?" Garrus asked, tracking the movements of one of the drones.

"One shot, try and crash a drone into their fuel tanks. If you can detonate the hydrogen that have up there, it'll bring the while platform down. Hopefully they'll think it's an accident." Shepard ordered, approaching the pipe.

Garrus fired a single shot, causing a single ship to drop and land on the platform. He waited for the explosion, cursing when it didn't come. Turning his back to the beach and sea, he followed Shepard into the tunnel, up towards the main facility.

* * *

"Their air support should be back any minute. Maintain cover, and keep the pressure on." Kirrahe ordered from just besides Ash.

"I don't see any signs of them." Ash replied looking down the scope of her pistol. "Could Shepard have managed to stop them?"

She barely had the chance to shoot a geth in the head, trying to flank them in the cover of the trees before an explosion shock the ground beneath them. Everyone looked up in time to head the blast, watching as a large plume of smoke started pouring up into the atmosphere from the opposite side of the facility.

"I guess she found another weak spot." Ash muttered before taking another shot.

* * *

"You said this was a drain, not a sewer," Garrus complained, trudging his way up the slime covered incline of the pipe.

"I hate sewers," Liara complained with a shiver just behind Shepard.

"It's not a sewer, it's a drain." Shepard insisted from the front.,

"Thorian dens, frozen wastelands covered in rachni, and now sewers. Always the classy woman Shepard."

"It's not a sewer!" Shepard shouted back at him as the pipe finally leveled off.

The top of the tube opened up to a grating at the top, letting a small amount of light in from the room above them. With no voices coming from above them, Shepard forced the grate up enough to look threw the gap, finding only what appeared to be an empty room with large containers against one wall. She pushed the grate off with a clatter, and pushed herself into the room using a small inlet on the side of the pipe for a foothold. She quickly pulled Liara and Garrus up after her after checking no one else was around.

A high pitched voice however made every jump. "Let me out." Shepard and Garrus instantly pointed their riles towards the source of the voice, a salarian pressed against he glass door of one of the containers, wearing STG armor. "Let me out." He pleaded again.

"What happened to you?" Shepard asked, cautiously approaching the cell.

"The... geth... they... they captured me. Saren... he... tortured me. They... filled me with drugs. He filled my mind, spoke to me. I can still hear him." The salarian quivered. "Just... let me out."

"Sounds like they put him through the same thing they did to Benezia." Shepard whispered to Liara.

"Sounds quite likely," She replied quietly. "I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, but I don't know if we could trust anyone that has had that happen to them."

"We're going to blow this whole place up. The least we can do is let him try and run for it."

"Bomb!" The salarian shouted in alarm, looking around the cell in alarm. Before anyone could react, the salarian started running between walls before running head first into glass door with a loud crack, leaving a green smear down the glass as he slid down.

"I hope we don't see too many more people Saren has done this to." Liara said quietly as she gripped Shepard's hand tightly.

"We need to get moving." Shepard ordered, pulling her hand back from Liara to keep her assault rifle ready as she approached the only door leading out of the room.

With Shepard and Garrus either side of the door, it opened before they had a chance to activate the controls, showing a large krogan filling the doorway. Reacting on instinct, Liara threw the krogan back into the lab it was walking out of, landing on what appeared to be a husk. Sparks flew out from the crushed corpse, leaving the krogan unconscious, but the noise was more than enough to attract the attention of every other occupant in the room, including several more krogan, and what appeared to be more STG members.

With Liara throwing singularities into the room to limit the movement of the occupants, Shepard and Garrus managed to quickly kill or disable most threats. Liara however quickly cleared the remainder using several warp fields to detonate her singularities, quickly dispatching anyone still remaining out of sight and leaving the lab eerily quiet. Apart from the broken lab equipment, the walls of the room were also lined with tanks of what appeared to be water. Each however appeared to contain an infant krogan

"Garrus, see if you can get into their security with any of these consoles." Shepard ordered, not looking away from the closest tank.

"Sure thing," Garrus replied, stepping up to a console, and tapping the side of his helmet. "Tali, you hear me."

_"About time Garrus, I was starting to worry. Hook me up, and I'll have their defences down in seconds."_

"Have fun," Garrus laughed, connecting his omni-tool to the console.

"Shepard?" Liara asked stepping up behind the Commander as she approached the tank. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Shepard mumbled in response. "I just didn't expect to see them, and not like this." She placed a hand on the glass, looking in at the small life. "At least it will be quick."

"They wouldn't have a life under Saren's rule anyway. He probably does the same to them as he has to the salarians." Liara offered, trying to comfort Shepard. "We're doing the most merciful thing we can for them."

Shepard laughed lightly. "Now you're doing my job." She turned around looking away from the tanks. "Garrus, are we good to go?"

"We've disabled all the security sensors, but if you want, we can activate alarms on the opposite side of the facility, take some of the heat off us." Garrus replied, looking up from the screen on his omni-tool.

"They've already got enough to worry about over there, I'd rather not give them any more to deal with," she commented, pulling her assault rifle out again.

 _"Shepard? Bad news."_  Joker said over the open comm sounding quite alarmed.  _"We've just picked up Sovereign entering orbit."_

"Nothing's changed joker. Just sit tight in stealth mode until we get the AA guns offline." Shepard replied, leading everyone to a back door in the lab, away from the tanks full of soon to be deceased children.

_"Will do Shepard, just giving you a heads up since Saren is probably on board if he's not already down there."_

"Thanks Joker, Shepard replied as she closed the channel, opening one to Ash as they continued down a walkway outdoors. "Ash, how are you guys doing over there?"

_"It could be a lot worse, the salarians can certainly hold their own, and Wrex seems to have made it his mission to take down every single one of Saren's krogan," Ash replied, sounding out of breath. "What exactly did you say to him?"_

Shepard smiled to herself. "I just gave him a bit of perspective. We've been through one of Saren's labs, looks like they've been doing more than just breeding krogan. Let us know if things get too much for you guys to handle, we're moving on towards the AA towers." Shepard informed her before closing the channel, as they entered into another building, leaving several geth in a heap outside.

The room appeared quiet, with nothing but a desk, and an elevator at the far end. The three started walking towards the elevator before a noise from behind the desk caught their attention. Shepard and Garrus pointed their rifles at it immediately, while the desk began to gently float up revealing a terrified looking asari cowering wherer the foot well had been.

"Please, don't shoot. I just want to get out of here," she begged, throwing her hands up.

"We're not going to hurt you. Who are you?" Shepard asked trying not to sound threatening, lowering the barrel of her assault rifle slightly.

"Rana Thanoptis, I was hired as a neuro-specialist . But this job... it's just horrific," the asari whimpered. "You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? When I started here, my first test subject was my predecessor. Sooner or later, he'll want to do the same to me."

"I thought this was meant to be a breeding facility?" Shepard asked calmly, trying not to worry the scientist.

"Not this level, we're study Sovereign's effects on organic beings, at least that's what I assume. The results are... terrifying." The asari replied shivering at the thought. "Unfortunately, this job is a little more permanent that I had planned, otherwise I would have left already."

"If I let you go, how can I trust you not to turn as soon as we turn our backs?" Shepard asked, raising the rifle slightly to point at the Asari's shaking legs.

"I-I can help you. I can give you access to Saren's private lab. All of his personal files, his own research. It's all just up this elevator." The asari said, moving over to the security controls on the elevator. She placed her palm on the reader until the doors opened. "Complete access, see. Will you let me go now?"

"We're blowing this facility up with a nuke. If you want to get out alive, you'd better start running." Shepard answered, lowering the barrel of her rifle to the floor, giving the asari a smirk.

Rana gave everyone an alarmed look, before sprinting out of the room in a panic, in the direction Shepard's team had just come from.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you Shepard?" Garrus asked with a smirk.

"Let's just hope she reads the job description next time," Shepard laughed, stepping into the elevator.

* * *

Saren's lab offered little in the way of light. The small room was dominated by a raised walkway, ending at nothing, while the rest of the room was dominated by a very familiar looking spire, glowing with green energy.

" **Is that... an actual working beacon!** " Liara shouted in shock, rushing towards the large object.

Shepard managed to catch up with her, grabbing the asari by the waist before she made it half way to the beacon. "You really don't want to go near that thing." Shepard assured her, giving it an evil look as she released Liara.

"You're going to use it... aren't you?" Liara asked, giving Shepard a worried look.

"We need to stop Saren, we need to know what he knows, and we know I can survive these things," Shepard replied angrily as she stepped towards the beacon.

A familiar sense of weightlessness overcame her as the beacon lifted her up in front of it before images began flashing across her vision, slowly blotting out the beacon, followed by searing pain cutting across her head, before everything went black as a large metallic form lunged towards her.


	15. Needs of the Many

Shepard gasped for breath, slowly looking up from the floor as she struggled to remember her surroundings. She grunted as a body hit her from behind and a pair or arms wrapped around her before pulling her up to her feet, while her name echoed from somewhere in the distance. She blinked several times, slowly bringing Liara into focus.

"Shepard, can you hear me?" Liara shouted looking panicked.

"I'm fine," Shepard managed, sounding incredibly groggy. "Just give me a minute, takes it out me. How long was I out?" She asked, looking over to Garrus.

"She was on you as soon as that thing dropped you, didn't take long to get your attention. It had ahold of you for at least five minutes though." He replied, looking quite concerned.

"I assure you, I'm fine." Shepard insisted looking back up to the door they had entered through. "We should get going. We still need to reach the AA towers."

Still shaking slightly on her feet, Shepard led everyone up towards the exit, stopping as a deep voice filled the room.  **"You are not Saren!"**  The noise rang like metal, synthetic, and carried no sign of emotion in it's rough tones.

"Well that's not good," Garrus muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

All three of them turned at once to find a large hologram of Sovereign filling the room past the end of the elevated walkway. Cautiously, Shepard led the way towards the large image. "Are you a VI? Are you in control of Sovereign?"

 **"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, beneath an explanation."**  The hologram boomed at them.

"I don't think that's a VI," Liara squeaked from just behind Shepard.

**"There is a realm of comprehension so far beyond your own, you cannot even hope to understand it, I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"**

"You're... not a reaper ship. You're an actual reaper. The last image in the prothean beacons is you!" Shepard exclaimed.

**"Reaper? A label created by the protheans to give a name to their destruction. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant, we simply are."**

"But the protheans disappeared fifty-thousand years ago. It's impossible for you to have been there!" Liara insisted in disbelief.

**"Your very existence is random. You judge time by the planets. You ultimately die. We are timeless. The pinnacle of life. Before us you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything!"**

"There is an entire galaxy out there, willing and ready to fight you," Shepard shouted back to the large holohram.

**"Courage, born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken."**

"Cycle? What cycle?" Shepard asked, eyeing the AI suspiciously.

"The previous races." Liara whispered to Shepard. "The ones that came before the protheans."

**"The pattern has completed itself more times than you can fathom. Each time an organic civilisation rises to the peak of their existence, they are extinguished. The protheans are not the first. They did not create the Mass Relays or the Citadel. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."**

"Why would you just construct the Relays and the Citadel, only to leave them for someone else to find?"

**"Your technology is based upon the technology of the mass relays, our technology. You develop along the paths we desire. You exist because we allow it. You will end because we demand it. We impose order."**

"They... think of us as livestock." Liara whimpered in shock.

"What do you want from us?! Slaves?! Resources?!" Shepard demanded.

**"My kind transcend your understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."**

"Where did you come from?! Who built you?!" Shepard demanded again, determined to get an answer.

**"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilisation has ended and been forgotten, we will endure."**

"Where are the rest of you? One of you can't possibly accomplish what you claim to."

**"We are legion. The time of our return is coming. They sky of every world will darken with our numbers. We are your doom."**

"We won't surrender. You invade us, we will fight. Conquer us and we will rebel. Darken the skies? I guess we'll just have to fight in the shade." Shepard responded, crossing her arms with a smug grin.

 _"Shepard, er... bad news. That ship is heading straight for you."_  Joker's voice shouted through the comm moments before a boom cracked through the air, shattering the glass in the small windows around the edge of the room.

The hologram slowly faded away as Shepard tapped her helmet to respond. "Yeah, we know. I think I pissed it off." She quickly pulled her rifle out again, resuming her course for the elevator.

 _"Pissed it off? How can you piss it off? It's a ship."_ Joker questioned her.

"Long story, we're on our way to the AA towers now. Be ready to take off when I give the order."

* * *

"You know, I think they worked out we're here" Garrus laughed dodging a low calibre sniper shot from the tower they were trying to reach.

"You sound surprised. It's meant to be the Krogan that are slow," Shepard drawled, firing her shotgun into the skull of one that had charged at her.

"Do you two have to make jokes constantly, it's a little distracting," Liara complained, trying to maintain a barrier that was shielding them from an overwhelming amount of fire.

Shepard dropped her shotgun, throwing a grenade into a cluster of geth trying to shoot them, before she pulled her assault rifle out, trying to clear a path for them into the tower in front of them. Scooping up her shotgun, Shepard pulled Liara through the doorway, closely followed by Garrus as he took out several of the remaining geth. Garrus sealed the door behind them while Shepard destroyed the only geth in the room and activated the control system for the base AA defences.

"Looks like all of their defences are tied into the same system. Tali?" Shepard asked opening a comm link.

 _"Hey Shepard, something for me?"_  Tali asked eagerly.

"Just an AA defence system for you to have some fun with." Shepard laughed, hacking Tali into the network. "Let Joker know when you've got the defences down, we'll meet the Normandy at the drop point."

 _"Understood Shepard, shouldn't take me more than a minute."_ Tali replied, hard at work using her omni-tool.

 _"Shepard! You want me to fly right under that thing. It's gigantic, they could probably swat the Normandy with it's point defence."_ Joker complained over the comm.

"It's not going to risk destroying the Normandy for the same reason it's not firing on us, it can't risk Saren," Shepard replied, calling the tower's lift.

 _"Yeah, there's no way they could decide the krogan army is more valuable than Saren or anything,"_ Joker replied sarcastically.

 _"Defences are down, Shepard."_ Tali announced.

"Joker..." Shepard scolded the pilot as the elevator came to a halt. "Get moving."

Shepard didn't get a chance to listen to Joker's inevitable complaint before she was face to face with an angry Krogan. Liara managed to throw the krogan back from the door as Shepard and Garrus scrambled to cover either side of the door.

"Stupid mistake." Shepard muttered pulling her assault rifle out. "Thanks for the save, Liara."

"Not a problem," the asari muttered in response as she threw a barrier up, shielding the elevator as several geth landed from a drop ship which then headed off towards the front of the facility.

"Guess they haven't worked out we're the real threat yet." Garrus mused, firing several shots into the skull of another krogan.

Shepard and Garrus quickly tore through the geth and the krogan between them and the drop zone for the bomb. As Shepard dropped the last krogan, Garrus managed to open the last door between them and the drop site for the bomb. The three of them stepped onto the overflow for the facilities inlets, greeted by a view of the planet's spotless oceans.

"At the landing site Joker." Shepard stated over the comm.

 _"On the way in Commander. That ship's still giving me the creeps,"_  Joker replied, sounding more than a little nervous.

"It's not going to shoot at you, just relax." Shepard assured him, watching as the Normandy manoeuvred over head towards their location.

 _"Yeah, I'm sure that will be very reassuring when the Normandy comes crashing down on your heads."_ Joker laughed sarcastically.

"The sooner we get that bomb set up, the sooner we can leave." Shepard answered before she closed the comm line.

Kaidan didn't even wait for the Normandy to come to a halt before opening the cargo bay doors, revealing the ground team and the water inlets for Saren's power generator. Along with several of the Normandy's crew, he started moving the bomb towards the ramp while Shepard and Garrus positioned themselves to keep watch. Liara ran up the ram as soon as it was close enough to the ground, projecting a barrier around the exposed crew.

" _How long is this going to take Shepard?"_ Joker shouted over the comm, presumably glaring up at the large ship hovering over them.

"As long as it takes Joker, unless you plan on leaving us down here?" Shepard replied to the pilot, still scanning the area around them for drop ships or geth.

" _I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind, but leaving my CO to die would probably look bad on my record,"_  Joker laughed.

"In position here Shepard," Kaidan announced as they lowered the bomb to the ground. "Get the crew back on board, I can handle the rest with one of the crewmen."

"Okay guys, back on board. Thanks for the help," Shepard ordered before ducking over to Kaidan. "How long should it take to arm this thing?"

"Five minutes, ten at most," Kaidan responded, already starting work on the drive core.

* * *

"Shit! Shit!  **Shit!** " Ash yelled, diving out of the way of a geth rocket, just before it detonated at the feet of two salarians. "Wrex! We're getting slaughtered over here!"

The large krogan didn't even look over to Ash, he simply slammed his head into the krogan he had been wrestling with, tore the shotgun from their hands and fired it into their chest several times. "You think this is easy for me?!" he yelled, before charging head first into a geth, trying to replace the power cell in his rocket launcher.

Ash pulled her rifle up, planting a shot into the eye piece of a geth, turning to attack Wrex from behind. "You really need to watch your back," Ash muttered to the krogan over their private comm before taking several geth out trying to flank the salarian's line.

"Get Shepard!" the krogan yelled, firing the geth's rocket launcher into the back of a prime, leaving the hollowed out shell smoking.

"She's busy Wrex, they've got a bomb to set up."

"They're flanking us." Kirrahe interrupted. "We need help, or they're going to have our retreat blocked off."

"Damn it." Ash cursed before opening her comm channel. "Shepard, we need help. The geth have us pinned at an AA tower."

* * *

"We're on our way Ash," Shepard replied, gesturing Garrus and Liara over. "Kaidan, can you hold down the fort here?"

"Under control, Shepard. Meet me back here with the Normandy, and we can all get out of here together," Kaidan answered, giving the crewman beside him a nod.

Shepard easily spotted the tower the teams were stuck at the base of. She started towards an alley between two buildings in the general direction. "Joker, get airborne. We're doing an extraction for the others, then coming back for Kaidan."

 _"Roger, leaving now."_  Joker replied as Shepard's team broke into a light sprint.

"How bad is it Shepard?" Liara panted after batting a small group of geth down a side alley to clear their path.

"We don't get to them, they'll be going up with the facility, if there's still any of them alive," Shepard replied sounding angry, as they emerged onto a large open walkway.

 _"Shepard, we've got a problem,"_ Kaidan shouted over the comm, gunfire audible in the background.

Shepard came to an abrupt halt, causing Garrus to almost crash into her back. "What's wrong, Kaidan?"

" _There's a drop ship right in front of me. I'm holding them back, but I can't hold them off forever,"_  Kaidan shouted in a panic, firing several shots off.  _"Fuck it. Shepard, I'm arming the bomb."_

"What! Kaidan, we can-" Shepard started before she was cut off.

" _It's done."_ Kaidan announced sounding rather resigned.

 _"Shepard, get Kaidan. We can try and make a push, make it out of the facility on our own,"_  Ash interrupted.

 _"They'll never make it Shepard, the blast radius on the bomb is huge, and that's if the geth don't slaughter them,"_  Kaidan argued.

_"But-"_

"Shut up, both of you!" Shepard shouted into the comm. "This isn't your decision, and I'm the one that gives the orders around here."

 _"Understood ma'am."_  The two marines replied in unison. More gunfire audible through both of their comms.

"Williams, get the team to safety, we're going to extract you, and the survivors of the salarian teams." Shepard stated, looking towards the AA tower they needed to reach. "Kaidan... I'm... I don't..."

 _"I understand Ma'am,"_ Kaidan replied, sounding far less upset than Shepard. _"I only regret that we won't all be there to end this."_

Shepard looked over to Liara, feeling slightly guilty for the promise she had made the asari. "Goodbye Kaidan, I'm sorry." Shepard replied into the comm, breaking into a sprint towards Ash, trying to fight back her emotions.

* * *

"Are you hurt?" Shepard asked, looking over at Ash, crouched behind a geth prime.

"Nothing a little medi-gel can't fix." Ash shouted back before depleting the thermal clip in her assault rifle, taking down several geth.

"Where's Wrex?" Shepard shouted.

As if on cue, several geth collapsed onto the ground, revealing the large form of Wrex charging at their cover.

"About time you showed up, Shepard," the krogan bellowed, ripping the head off another geth. "Missing all the fun."

Shepard gave Wrex a glare before replacing her thermal clip and firing into several more geth. "Where's Kirrahe?" Shepard shouted as Garrus disabled several geth Liara had lifted with a singularity.

"He's back towards the facilities entrance, he took what was left of his team to stop the geth from surrounding us," Ash shouted before throwing what appeared to be her last grenade into the geth.

"Joker, what are our options for a pick up?" Shepard asked, depleting the remainder of her thermal clip into a prime's barriers before Wrex's shotgun tore the head off.

 _"Your current location has too many structures around it, I can't get to ground level. You can either go up the tower, or there's an open are just inside the facilities main gate. Anything outside the perimeter, and the jungle gets in the way."_ The pilot announced from his holding pattern.  _"Unfortunately both options are currently overrun with geth."_

"Williams, are there any salarians still in this tower?" Shepard asked, replacing yet another thermal clip.

"Negative Skipper, any that didn't get out have been killed by the geth. Thankfully, one of the salarians managed to lock the door and trap them in," Ash replied, making her way towards Shepard position, carefully staying in cover. "So what's the plan?"

"We bring down the tower on the geth." Shepard stated, looking around at the geth positions. "Wrex, we're leaving," Shepard shouted throwing a grenade into the tightest cluster of geth between them and Kirrahe.

The krogan barged his way through towards the four other team members before leading their charge into the geth. With Liara maintaining a strong barrier around them all, at least for the moment, Shepard, Garrus and Ash focused on taking down as many geth as they could hindering their progress towards Kirrahe while Wrex was focused on killing Saren's krogan dotted through the geth army.

Once they were clear of the base of the tower, Shepard opened a comm link again. "Tali, I need you to start firing on Sovereign with the guns on the AA tower nearest our position."

" _Sure, but... if that thing decides to fire back, it could level the whole facility."_ Tali replied sounding worried. _"We haven't seen that thing fire it's weapons, and we haven't even been able to scan it."_

"It needs this base Tali, it won't destroy it, or risk whatever it needs from here." Shepard replied over the noise of everyone's weapons firing.

 _"Charging now. I'll fire when ready. Good luck,"_ Tali finished closing the line to focus on her omni-tool.

Shepard and Wrex kept driving forwards through the facility until the mass drivers on the tower caught their attention, firing up at the immense black form still filling the sky over the facility. As the first masses deflected harmlessly, the large hull swung around, aiming the hand like end of the giant ship towards the tower firing at it. Effortlessly, a red wavering beam left the end of one of the reaper's appendages, tearing through the tower before it collapsed down within itself, filling the air with the screech of tearing metal. Dust and debris poured from the base of the tower as it slowly collapsed, burying everything around it under concrete.

Joker panicked at the sight of the ship, opening the comm again in a hurry.  _"Shepard, stop pissing that thing off. Even the Normandy can't perform a turn like that without sheering itself in half!"_

"Relax Joker, I told you, it won't shoot anything that risks destroying what it needs here." Shepard replied calmly as she shot the head off a geth they had managed to surprise her. Thankfully, a group of salarians just came into view, taking cover behind another large pile of geth, stacked against some cargo containers just on the edge of the clearing at the facilities entrance. "We're at the pick up location just inside the gate. We'll clear the geth and call you in when it's safe to land."

 _"Understood, but remember the timer on that bomb is still ticking."_ Joker shouted back, fumbling to connect Kaidan's signal to the channel.  _"What's the time on that bomb LT?"_

"Come on Kaidan." Shepard muttered to herself, firing her rifle rapidly into the backs of several more geth, leaving them on the ground as sparking scrap.

Gunshot on the comm finally caught everyone's attention, followed only by an explosion and more gunfire. Shepard closed her comm off, not wanting to deal with the possibility of Kaidan's death while she still had a mission to complete. Following Wrex's lead Shepard charged out of Liara's barrier, shotgun in hand, to tear her way through the last of the geth between her and the slowly dwindling number of salarians. Finally coming to a stop behind their cover, she switched back to her assault rifle to cover the others as they struggled to make up the ground to the relative safety of the low cover.

"Good to see you're still in the fight Commander, we've been worried ever since our radios went down." Kirrahe announced looking incredibly relieved to see them. "What's the situation like?"

"The bomb is armed, we've had to leave Lieutenant Alenko behind, and the Normandy is waiting to be able to land at this location." Shepard replied as an object dipping in the sky caught her attention. "And I think you're the last remaining salarian team."

"How long is left on the timer?" Kirrahe asked, ducking back into cover to shelter himself from an explosion.

"No idea." Garrus laughed from besides Shepard. "We lost contact with Kaidan, but we're certain he's armed it."

"So the plan is to get out of here as soon as we can I assume?" Kirrahe asked, looking back to his men struggling to keep out of the line of fire.

"Basically, yeah. Joker can land as soon as these geth are clear and hot tail itout of here," Shepard shouted as a droning whine filled the air.

As the noise faded, the gunfire came to a sudden halt as Shepard looked up, spotting a tall figure passing between two geth. As it approached, the silhouette slowly formed into a turian, faint cybernetics visible across one side of his face.

"Saren!" Shepard stated, pushing herself over the pile of geth she had been crouched behind.

"Shepard. I must admit, this was an impressive diversion. My geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat. Of course it was all for nothing, I can't let you disrupt everything I have accomplished here. The fate of the galaxy is at stake."

"Why are you working with a reaper?" Shepard asked, slowly starting to decide that Saren had never been the puppeteer.

"The reapers are unstoppable Shepard, you've seen the vision from the beacon. Surely you can understand what they're capable of? Why die in pointless revolt? Do not sacrifice everything for the narrow ideas of freedom. The protheans tried to fight, and they were wiped from the face of the galaxy." Saren drawled, speaking in cold, calculated tones. "An immense number dead! But what if they had submitted, bowed before their will? Would the protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?"

"Do you really believe it's that simple, that the reapers will simply allow us to exist under their rule. Trillions would still die, entire worlds would still be extinguished, and that's if they decide to let any of us live at all!" Shepard argues, stepping closer to Saren, and a pile of containers between her and the turian.

"Now you see why I never came forward with this to the council, they're driven by emotion, not logic. We will fight for our freedom, even if it means the extinction of all." Saren continued to drawl with an incredibly flat tone of voice. "But, if we work with the reapers, prove our value to them, think how many of us can be spared. Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign. I was aware of the dangers, and so I began construction of this facility to protect myself."

"And all this time, you've been sitting here, hiding away, afraid that Sovereign is controlling you!" Shepard spat. "So, is yours the only voice in your head?"

"I've studied the effects of indoctrination Shepard. The more control Sovereign exerts, the less competent the victim becomes. I've witnessed victims unable to even pronounce their own name, capable of killing each other without hesitation," Saren explained, beginning to sound worried as he pulled a geth assault rifle from his back. "That is my saving grace Shepard. Sovereign needs me. It cannot destroy my mind to take my body. It needs me to find the conduit, my mind is still my own. The transformation can be subtle, and I won't let it happen to me."

"What is the conduit? Why does Saren need it?" Shepard asked, growing concerned at the increasingly hostile appearing turian, flanked by an incredible number of geth.

"The conduit is the key to your destruction and my salvation. Sovereign needs my help to find it, and end the lives of those organics that would seek to stop it. That is the only reason I haven't been indoctrinated"

"I think you already have. I think Sovereign is controlling you, stopping you from considering that he might have already started influencing you. You're completely under his power aren't you?" Shepard shouted at the turian, watching anger spark in his eyes. Hopefully, the emotion would be enough to strike something in Saren, to make him question himself.

"No! Sovereign needs me!" Saren roared. "I have been promised a reprisal from the inevitable end. This is my only hope."

"Help me stop them, help me fight the reapers," Shepard offered, reverting to a calm voice, trying to strike reason within Saren as she slowly raised her assault rifle at her hip.

"No, I've seen the vision. I no longer believe that's possible. Our only hope of surviving the reapers is to join with them," Saren shouted, something within him panicking.

Shepard didn't wait for any more of a response, taking the opportunity to fire a burst at Saren as she ducked behind the containers. Not missing the chance, Saren and every geth around him fired in unison, hitting the containers and the cover her team was still crouched behind. Too focused on Shepard, Saren ignored the increasing volume of the Normandy's engines, slowly manoeuvring to place the geth within small arms range of the ship. Slowly dropping in towards the desired landing zone, every crew member on the Normandy that could hold a rifle had formed a firing line, firing a constant barrage down on their targets. With the salarians, Ash, Garrus and Liara taking advantage of the confusion in the geth line, they joined the fight, easily forming a crossfire and rapidly reducing the geth numbers.

Seizing the opportunity, Shepard leapt out of cover, charging at Saren with her assault rifle firing madly, quickly tearing through the turians shields. Slamming a fist into the side of Saren's skull as she reached him, Shepard flinched in shock as the turian appeared to ignore the blow, simply forcing her backwards with a blow from the back of his arm and sent her assault rifle flying. Not pausing, Saren leapt after Shepard, grabbing her armour and forced a clawed hand between the helmet and chest plate. Forcing her head back to expose the vulnerable throat, Saren clamped down with a single hand, sealing of Shepard's airway as his shields regenerated.

Shepard kicked at Saren, trying to break his grip as she saw a wave of blue passing over her, flaring against hers and Saren's shields. Shepard froze as Saren turned around to look for the source of the attack, the faint glow of biotics around Liara visible over the turian's shoulder. Saren turned back to Shepard with a large smirk on his face, showing of every singe one of his teeth, right before Shepard landed her fist in the side of his jaw with a crack. She retracted the fist, planting it back against the turian's face and left him stumbling backwards with a limp mandible.

With the Normandy still closing in on the ground the geth were quickly falling or scattering, looking for cover from the unexpected onslaught. Exposed and vulnerable, Saren dashed back, away from Shepard, weaving to dodge the bursts of fire from Shepard's pistol. Fleeing, the turian returned to the hover platform he had arrived on, quickly leaving the combat zone, staring at Shepard as he left, leaving her firing into the air, trying to take him down.

* * *

Kaidan kept firing, watching as the bomb slowly ticked down. After he had armed the bomb, the lieutenant had decided to forgo his helmet, now laying discarded by his feet. He had decided with the inevitability of his death, the fresh air, rather than the smell of his helmet, had warranted the reduction in protection. With his last thermal clip finally depleted, he watched as the last three seconds counted down on the bomb's display, the world around him stopping as the countdown reached zero.

* * *

The Normandy settling above her finally caught Shepard's attention just before she felt Liara pulling her towards the open cargo bay, and the relative safety of the ship. Not wasting any time, the Normandy lifted up as soon as the last boot was on the deck, starting a rapid ascent away from the facility. Shepard rushed through the ship, cursing the slow elevator up from the cargo deck as she rushed to the CIC. She finally arrived behind Joker's chair in time to watch the detonation on the pilot's sensor display, consuming the facility almost immediately, along with an unknown number of captives, and every new life Shepard had seen within the incubation tanks.

Sighing in relief, Shepard collapsed into the empty copilot's seat breathing deeply, so far not having really taken the chance to catch her breath since being strangled. "So... who's idea was the line formation?" Shepard asked the pilot.

"Pressly was monitoring the ground situation. After he spotted Saren heading to your location, all of the crew on deck volunteered." Joker replied, rapidly taking the Normandy past it's original orbit of the planet towards open space.

Shepard turned back towards the navigator standing in the CIC around the galaxy map, giving him a grateful nod before noticing a single blue form working their way threw the celebrating crowd of the crew, followed by a set of pink armor. Quickly rising back to her feet, Shepard rushed over to Liara, puling the asari into a tight hug, oblivious to the sly grin Joker was giving them around the headrest on his chair and everyone else watching in the CIC. Ash, however was standing easily within Shepard's vision, tears threatening to flow, but managing to force a smile at the two of them none the less.

"The er... the Council would like to speak to you when you have a moment Commander." Joker interrupted, turning back to his flight controls.

"Who the hell keeps sending them these reports?" Shepard complained, noticing Pressly immediately go back to his work at the mention of them. "Tell them I need to finish debriefing my team first, Joker."

Shepard didn't have a chance to look away from the pilot before a familiar streak of red filled the space visible through the port side of the cockpit. Surprised and scared, Liara squeezed herself against the Commander in panic as the beam cut a wide arch through the void outside the ship.


	16. It's just good Politics

Joker threw the Normandy into a roll on instinct before another beam burned across his vision. Slightly disoriented as the stars rolled outside the window, Shepard pulled Liara up to the cockpit with her to the empty chairs. With Liara sitting safely in the seat to the left of Joker, Shepard returned to the copilot's seat.

"Activate the stealth drive." Shepard barked at the pilot, frantically pulling up ship readouts on the HI.

"It is active." Joker replied from beside her, throwing the Normandy through several tight manoeuvres to prevent Sovereign gaining a target lock, somehow sounding incredibly calm. "We've got over ten minutes until we need to purge the heat sinks."

"Then how does that thing know where we are, and why didn't the nuke knock any of its systems out?" Shepard queried, "It must have been practically on top of it when it detonated."

"Right now, I'm more worried about how we get away from that thing. We should still be out of its visual range, so it shouldn't even know we're here." Joker answered, pulling the status screen for the stealth system. "Nothing, everything is working properly."

"Can't we just go to FTL?" Liara asked from the side of the cockpit, looking a little pale, tightly gripping the armrests on her chair.

"You can't plot a course while I'm pulling manoeuvres like this, FTL drives just don't work like that," Joker answered, looking like he was starting to break a sweat. "We just need a few seconds of calm flying, and we can do a short jump out of range."

Shepard quickly pulled several new items up on her interface, opening a comm channel. "Adams, why can they detect us?"

 _"Our stealth drive is good, but it's not perfect, we're still leaking energy, especially running the engines this hot."_ The engineer replied, sounding a little short on breath.

"Can you stop the leak?" Shepard practically demanded, looking over several screens.

 _"You want me to refit our prototype drive core, while we're being shot at?"_ Adams asked in disbelief.

"Well can you do anything to cut down the leak? Just make us disappear!" Shepard ordered, clearly unhappy about being unable to do anything helpful in their current situation. After waiting for a moment, and several more incredibly close shaves, Shepard's patience for a response ran out. "Anything Adams?"

 _"I've checked it with Tali, and we think if we can reduce the amount of power the ship is putting out. Our blip should disappear."_  The engineer replied sounding a little concerned.  _"How well do you think the crew would take to getting a little chilly?"_

"A few mild cases of hypothermia would be preferable to death, what did you have in mind exactly?" Shepard asked, actually sounding worried.

 _"Shut off life support,"_ Adams stated, a lot of commotion coming from the background. _"Take the weapons offline, sleeper pod and... everything but the engines, mass effect core and navigation."_

"Do it!" Shepard ordered before closing the channel and looking around the two seated next to her. "Going to get a little chilly I'm afraid."

The lights flashed off before anyone could respond, leaving them sat in the glow of the interfaces in front of them, and the emergency lighting marking the walkways through the ship.

"I just hope he remembers to leave the kinetic barriers on." Joker laughed, pushing the Normandy through another roll. When Shepard didn't reply, Joker looked over at Shepard, looking worried for the first time. "He is leaving them on... right?"

"Not sure they'd be a lot of help anyway." Shepard answered, not looking the pilot in the eyes. "You saw how he tore through that building."

"Right... don't get hit... no pressure." Joker sighed.

The Normandy swept past another beam, within feet of tearing an engine nacelle off. The next shot however waved wildly through the void of space, not coming anywhere near the ship. With the following beam cutting a wide swath as well, Shepard turned back to the pilot. "Probably a good time to punch it joker, before he hits us by chance."

"I'm not going to disagree with that." he responded before the Normandy shot forwards several seconds later. Wisps of light ran across the ship's view ports, before disappearing a second later, showing the gentle light of the stars before them, and a small rocky planet hanging in front of them.

"Where are we?" Liara asked, looking out at the planet, not even considering the readouts in front of her.

"Presse...Precya... last planet in the system. Or first, depends how you want to look at it." Joker stated, frustrated with obscurely named planets, still working the controls in front of him.

"Any idea why that thing didn't manage to hit us on it's first shot?" Shepard asked, looking at the small rock hanging in space before them.

"It was a lot closer to that nuclear blast than we were. It's possible the EMP damaged it's systems, overloaded it's sensors... any number of possibilities." Joker shrugged. "I try not to think about these things. "Could we get some heat now please, Shepard? I can't feel my toes." The pilot asked sarcastically.

"I'll see what I can do." Shepard sighed, trying to open a comm channel, only to be granted an error message. "I guess he took the comm system down. I'll head down to engineering, get us back to the relay. Hopefully I'll know where we're going before we get there."

Shepard slid out of her seat, surprised to be greeted by a cold draft from further back along the ship, followed by a sarcastic comment from Joker about wanting a medal. Forcing herself to ignore both, she continued towards the stairs to the lower decks, followed by Liara heading to the ship's small armory in the cargo hold.

"I'm not sure that was an experience I would like to repeat." Liara laughed nervously, once they were in the privacy of the elevator to the bottom deck..

"I can't say I care for being a bystander either." Shepard replied, her hand instinctively seeking out Liara's. "All the risk, none of the control."

"Has the beacon given you anything new?" Liara asked, forcing a change of subject.

"It's all just a jumble, just like last time." Shepard sighed, appearing very tired suddenly. "I always see Sovereign... or a reaper anyway."

Liara gently squeezed Shepard's hand back, giving the Commander a concerned look. "Would you like me to help you with it, to see if we can find anything about the beacon?"

"My quarters in two minutes." Shepard started just before the door into the cargo bay opened. "Thank you."

The two of them walked out to the dark cargo bay, Shepard giving Kirrahe and his men a nod as she walked to engineering, leaving Liara heading towards Ash and the armory.

* * *

Liara waited patiently, staring back towards the elevator from just outside Shepard's door. She knocked again, waiting for a response. The lights had come on several minutes earlier, and the air was already beginning to warm up to a more comfortable temperature. She had watched Shepard get into the elevator up from the cargo bay while she was still stowing her armor in her locker.

Worrying, Liara knocked on the door again, finally breathing a sigh of relief when a response finally came from within.

"Enter." Shepard shouted from the foot of her bed, looking up from the floor as the door opened. "Sorry for the wait..."

"It's fine, it's been a hard day for all of us." Liara replied softly, eyeing the empty bottle of rum Shepard had bought on Noveria, laying on the floor at the foot of the bed. "Although, that's probably not the best way to deal with it though."

"To be honest, I'm a little nervous about this, even if we have done it before." Shepard replied roughly, pushing herself up to her feet.

"Do you trust me, Jane?" Liara asked, positioning herself directly in front of Shepard, placing her hands over the Commander's.

"Completely." Shepard replied, giving the asari a reassuring smile.

Liara tilted her head back as she closed her eyes, "Embrace eternity." She looked back to Shepard, her eyes swirling pools of black. Unlike before, she didn't shield her own mind as she slowly entered Shepard's. With some familiarity of the experience, Shepard tried to guide Liara towards the memory of the second beacon, losing herself to the dark pools in front of her. The first flash of metal sent Shepard's mind spinning. Dead bodies littered the ground, dozens of species all slaughtered together. Metal tore through flesh, leaving the planet dead, lifeless.

Shepard slowly reached out with her mind, fear gripping her for the second time that day, clinging to the image of Liara in her mind, the two of them holding each other. The vision played out in the background, the threatening tones of red overpowered by the soft waves of blue flowing from Liara. The metal hand reached forwards, grasping out towards them from the planet, the twin stars of the system visible far off in the distance.

With the vision fading, reality slowly asserted itself around her, greeting Shepard with the image of Liara's eyes steadily returning to their bright blue. They both blinked, inches from each other. Slowly, instinct driving them, they started to close the few inches between their lips as they finally closed their eyes.

" _Commander? Your team wants to know when you're going to arrive at the debriefing in the comm room."_

They both sighed in frustration as the comm cut off, before Liara gently rested her head against Shepard's, smiling to herself.

"Damn it Joker." Shepard cursed quietly to herself, before she replied to the pilot. "I'll be up there in a minute, Flight Lieutenant."

Shepard gently pulled back from Liara, planting a single kiss on her cheek that made her smile sweetly at her, before Shepard looked back into her eyes. "Did you see anything useful? Anything that might help us find the Conduit?"

"I... recognize that planet. I've seen images of it before, on a prothean dig site. The... the stars in that system..." Without waiting for a response, Liara rushed out of the quarters, leaving Shepard stunned in the suddenly empty room.

* * *

Liara tore through the piles of data pads she had gathered with information on the protheans, trying to find out what the Conduit was, quickly turning the small room into a mess. Deciding what she was looking for wasn't on any of the pads now scattered across her floor, Liara turned her computer terminal on, quickly looking through the files on there as well.

"Could you at least let me know what you're looking for before you turn my ship upside down?" Shepard asked, appearing in the open doorway from the med bay.

Liara looked back from the screen confused. "How am I going to turn the ship over? And I fail to see how it could be a problem in space." When Shepard responded only by laughing lightly to herself, Liara turned back to the terminal in frustration to pull up what appeared to be an old, corrupted data image of a metropolis on an alien planet, twin suns visible in the sky. "I think this image was taken on the same planet as in your vision. It's Ilos, out in the Pangaea Expanse, through the Mu relay. Obviously, no one has ever been able to go there, at least, not since the protheans."

"And... you think this is where the Conduit is?" Shepard asked, not looking away from the image.

"If the message in the beacons came from Ilos, and Saren and Sovereign believe that they hold the key to finding the Conduit. It must be on Ilos. Something must be at the very least." Liara paused, waiting for Shepard to reply. After a moment of silence, Liara started to over explain, trying to get her point across. "I know there's a lot of assumption, but it's the only lead we've got. It was a major prothean colony right be-"

"I think you've cracked it Doc." Shepard cut in, fearing the asari would actually talk her out of agreeing. "It fits, and that picture does almost seem familiar, even though I've never seen it before in my life. We need to go to the debriefing. You just gave us our next lead." Shepard exclaimed, beaming at Liara before disappearing out of the doorway.

Following Shepard towards the comm room, at a considerably slower pace, Liara turned the corner to the corner onto the bottom of the stairs up to the CIC, finding Shepard on her back, looking up at her. "What... exactly... are you doing down there?"

"I... may have had a bit more to drink than I should have." Shepard muttered, trying to find a way back to her feet.

Laughing lightly at the image of her commander flat on her back, Liara eased the Commander back up before she helped Jane the rest of the way up the steps.

"I've always hated these steps." Shepard complained as the door opened into the CIC.

"Of course you have." Liara patronized, letting the Commander walk out into the CIC unsupported, before following her towards the comm room.

Shepard stumbled into the comm room, earning herself a glare from a red eyed Chief Williams. "We left Kaidan down there to die, and you hit the bottle. Real classy." Ash shouted, fighting back tears as she accused Shepard.

Fighting her half drunk self to remain as stoic as possible, Shepard walked over to her normal seat on the far side of the room, placing herself next to the empty seat normally occupied by Kaidan.

"I can't believe you would just leave him, after everything he did for this crew!" Ash continued, rapidly burning through her frustration. "It should have been me that died down there, Commander. You know that."

"It wasn't a choice between Kaidan and you. It was a choice between saving Kaidan, or saving you, Wrex and every single one of the salarians safely in our cargo bay." Shepard stated, putting every bit of effort she could into maintaining the calm tone of her voice. "I saved as many people as I could Ash. It was my choice, and I'm the one that failed him, not you. He was a good officer, he new the risks. We all know the risks."

"I-I'm sorry Commander, I'm grateful you saved my life, but Kaidan was the superior officer, you should have assigned him to the salarians." Ash argued in defeat.

"I needed Kaidan's expertise with the bomb. If anything had gone wrong with it, he was the most likely person to be able to fix it. That's all there is to it." Shepard finished.

"Just tell me we did more than just delay Saren. Garrus said you found another beacon, was there anything new in it?" Ash asked, not looking up from the floor.

"We think we found the planet the message was sent to the beacons from. The message Saren was using to find the beacon." Liara explained happily.

"And you think this is where the Conduit is?"

"Best guess," Shepard shrugged. "It's through the Mu Relay, which explains why Saren needed to know its location. This beats going back to the Citadel and waiting for Saren to attack us with an unknown advantage, we can stop him before it comes to that."

"Forget it. The Mu Relay is inside the Terminus Systems. Spectres and Alliance ships aren't welcome there," Tali stated. "They even shun the migrant fleet unless we're looking to trade."

"We need to get to Ilos. That's where Saren's headed, and I plan on being there waiting for him." Shepard stated.

"If the Conduit is on Ilos, then Saren will have his entire fleet in orbit. We'd need an entire fleet to reach him." Liara countered.

"If we get there first, we don't have that problem. Besides, after uncovering a krogan breeding facility creating an army to invade the Citadel, I'd hope they'll give me whatever I ask for," Shepard laughed. "Okay, everyone dismissed, the Council probably wants to talk."

Shepard waited for the room to clear before walking towards the comm terminal. "Joker? Do you still have the Council on the line?"

" _About time you were ready for them, they've been demanding to speak to you every thirty seconds for the last fifteen minutes."_  Jokers irritated reply sounded through the comm.  _"Putting them through now."_

"Ah, Commander Shepard. How wonderful to speak to you again." Councillor Tevos greeted warmly.

"We are pleased to hear that your mission on Virmire was a success." The Salarian Councillor stated gratefully.

"Saren was dangerous enough with an army of geth, the last thing we needed was for him to get control of a krogan army." The Turian Councillor commented.

"This isn't the end of the problem. We have no way of knowing how many krogans have already joined the geth, and they don't serve Saren, they serve Sovereign. A Reaper." Shepard responded, determined to make the Councillors listen.

"Yes... we saw this on your report." The Salarian answered sceptically. "Sovereign. A sentient machine. A full AI. This news is alarming to say the least... if it proves to be accurate."

Shepard sighed to herself in frustration.  _When are they going to stop fucking about and actually believe something I tell them._  "Sovereign is a reaper. It admitted it... and so did Saren."

"He's playing you Shepard! Saren still has contacts on the Citadel, friends within the Spectres. He likely saw your earlier reports. He knows about your vision, and has likely seen your reports about the reapers," the Turian Councillor theorised.

The Salarian Councillor cut in. "It's highly possible that Saren is using false information to send you in circles. Our own investigations haven't been able to turn up any collaborating evidence."

"Sooner or later, you'll need to listen to me, take something I say on faith. Otherwise, we're all going to end up facing the consequences!" Shepard argued.

"Try to see this from out point of view. Saren is a threat we can see, but there is no evidence that reapers exist outside of your visions." Tevos reasoned, trying to placate the Commander.

"Our decisions affect the lives of everyone in Council Space. We cannot act on the accusations of one individual, even a Spectre. Not without solid evidence."

"The Council cannot take any official action here. This is exactly the reason why the Spectres were created, to act when we couldn't."

"If you truly believe Sovereign is the real threat, then you should do everything you can to stop it." The Salarian Councillor explained. "In the meantime, we are assembling a joint fleet to deal with the immediate threat of Saren, his geth, and any krogan he still has."

"Thank you for letting us know Councillors, we'll be joining the fleet as soon as possible."

"We're pleased to hear it, Commander. If you'll excuse us, we have a fleet to see to," the Turian Councilor stated.

"We hope to hear from you soon, Commander." Tevos finished, trying to recover from her colleague's bluntness before the channel closed.

 _About bloody time._ "Joker, plot a course to the Citadel. I want us at the head of that fleet."

" _Aye-Aye Commander, Udina is requesting that you report to him and the council on arrival."_ Joker replied.

"Of course he is," Shepard muttered before she acknowledged the message.

* * *

"This is a military operation, against a potentially overwhelming hostile force. Losses should be expected."

"He was our friend, Garrus!" Tali exclaimed at the Turian from her bed. "How can you just shrug his death off?"

"He knew the risks, and he died performing his duty as an officer. I'm happy for him, he'll be remembered for his sacrifice."

"I think he'd much rather he hadn't needed to sacrifice his life to stop the psychotic turian, trying to kill all life in the galaxy!" Tali screamed.

"Fair point." Garrus admitted in defeat, desperately looking around for something to change the subject. "So how much longer until you get out of here?"

"Another couple of days probably." Tali sighed, looking over at the doctor sitting at her desk. "Apparently the rachni managed to completely shatter the bone, but hopefully I'll be out before this is all finished. I definitely don't want to be stuck in here again, while you're all on the ground."

"I'll tell Shepard not to hurry with saving the galaxy then." Garrus laughed, getting up from his seat besides Tali's bed. "I need to get back to work on the Mako. Be glad you don't have to fix the suspension after she ran over that Colossus."

* * *

"Shepard! Are you in there?" Ash shouted at the door.

Shepard had disappeared after the staff briefing, which wasn't uncommon. Since it was approaching noon the day after, and the Normandy was due to dock at the Citadel within fifteen minutes, Ash and Liara were getting worried.

"Shepard. Please open the door." Liara requested quietly, just before they slid open, showing a very tired looking Shepard.

"Something I can help you with?"

"We're about to dock, and you have a meeting with Udina and the Council in half an hour." Ash stated, shoving a hot cup of coffee towards Shepard.

"Did you get any sleep?" Liara asked sounding concerned.

"Not a wink." Shepard muttered into her mug between sips. "Doubt I'll be getting a lot any time soon either."

"You can't beat yourself up about Kaiden, Skipper. It's not you're fault." Ash insisted.

"It was my choice, I left him there." Shepard turned back into her quarters, pausing before she closed the door. "Give me fifteen minutes, and I'll be ready to go."

Ash waited for the doors close before turning back into the mess. "She can't blame herself for doing her job."

"She cares about her crew. Would you rather she was willing to throw our lives away over nothing." Liara asked quietly. "She tries to save everyone."

* * *

With the Normandy sat securely in it's docking bay, Shepard was standing impatiently in the elevator up the Citadel Tower, Liara, Ash and Garrus with her. Thankfully, she looked rather more awake than she had earlier.

"So after all the crap they've given you, all the times they've ignored you, you're just going to do whatever you ask?" Garrus asked, clearly annoyed.

"I'm a soldier, Garrus, I follow orders, just like you all follow mine." Shepard replied. Her fingers tapping against the glass wall she was leaning against.

"The difference is, we all believe in your orders. You don't make stupid decisions... most of the time." He snickered.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Shepard laughed. "At least they are finally listening. They're finally taking the threat seriously."

"When have they ever listened?" Ash droned. "You had to slap them in the face with the evidence against Saren before they would even let you go after him."

They finally came to a halt, before the doors opened into the Council Chambers, filled with waiting areas, and offices off to each side of them. Shepard led everyone up several flights of steps towards the Council and Udina.

"Good work Commander. Thanks to you, the Council is finally willing to take real action to defend all of us against Saren!" Udina announced as Shepard came into view up the last flight of steps.

"The ambassador is correct. If, as you believe, Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, our forces will be ready for him." Tevos announced from her pedestal across from them.

"We have patrols at every relay between here, and the Traverse." The Turian Councillor announced proudly. "Nothing will be able to get through, without us knowing."

"What are you doing to stop him from finding the conduit?" Shepard questioned. "Saren is on his way to Ilos to look for it, right now! What are you doing about that?"

"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, as I'm sure you know. You did, after all, recover its location." The Salarian Councillor patronized. "If we send a fleet, the only possible outcome is all out war with the Terminus Systems."

"Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. While the council refused to act, his victory was inevitable. Now, he's no longer a threat!" Udina insisted.

"You know what? I'm just going to skip all of your _we don't want to stick our neck on the line_ crap, and get right down to the solution. I'm going to Ilos! I'm taking  _my_  ship, and doing exactly what you told me to do, Councillors. I'm doing what  _I_  think is right!" Shepard shouted, before turning to leave, facing her crew. "We don't even know what the conduit is!"

"The conduit is merely a distraction, another attempt to draw attention away from his true plan to attack the Citadel." The Salarian Councilor stated.

Shepard ignored the response, marching past her squad, gently nudging Liara to follow as she stared at the Council in shock.

"Ambassador, I get the impression the Commander isn't willing to drop this." The Turian Councillor said from somewhere behind her.

"There are serious political implications here Shepard." Udina announced from the top of the steps behind them all. "Humanity's made some great gains thanks to you, but you're starting to become something of a nuisance."

"I'm insulted... I thought I was at least a pain in your neck!" Shepard sneered, looking back to the Ambassador.

"You're selling us out you bastard." Ash accused from besides Shepard.

"All of the Normandy's primary systems have been locked out. You've done your job now, Shepard. Time to let me do mine."

Shepard turned back towards the exit, continuing at her steady pace as before, ignoring the discussion that resumed behind her between the Ambassador and the Council.


	17. Allegiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sticking a very big "Not Suitable for Work" stamp on the last section of this chapter, since it is an explicit version of the Mass Effect 1 sex scene. It takes up the last third of the chapter. You have been warned.

"Councillor! Councillor!, I need to speak with you!" Liara shouted from behind two turian C-Sec officers. They were adamant on blocking her path up the last flight of stairs to the platform before the councillors. " **Councillor Tevos!** " She finally yelled in frustration, blushing as she surprised herself at the volume of her outburst.

The Councillor finally sighed before looking over to the young maiden addressing her. "How may I help you, Doctor T'Soni?" She asked calmly, leaving the other councillors as she returned to her central podium overlooking the speaker's platform.

With the two guards in front of her relaxing their stance slightly to move aside, Liara pushed her way between them, running up the last flight of steps. "I need to talk to you about Sovereign."

"I'm afraid the Council has already decided which course of action to take against Saren," the Councillor stated. "If you have any evidence to offer to attempt to change the Council's decision, you will need to present it when all the Councillors are present. If you come back tomorrow, I'll see if we can find a suitable time for Shepard and you to address us," Tevos stated, turning to leave again.

"I'm not here to offer anything new, I am here to offer my memory of Shepard's conversation with Sovereign," Liara said, trying to make herself loud enough to hear. "You don't believe her, well I've brought you proof."

"I'm sure you're well aware of the requirements when presenting memories to any form of legal body. We can't accept memories without some way of proving their context. Without it, it's too easy to misrepresent them. Besides, the Council doesn't doubt the events as they have been reported, they have simply come to a different conclusion than Shepard. A far more likely conclusion," Councillor Tevos replied, clearly finishing the conversation as she turned and left the chambers without even glancing back at the younger asari.

"Wait, they- You mean you disagree with them?" Liara stuttered as she stepped up to the edge of the platform.

"I'm sorry, Liara. There's nothing I can do... just... remind Shepard of herself. I'm sure she'll do what's right," Tevos stated before walking through the chamber's exit.

Liara looked around the empty chamber in confusion before starting back towards the tower's elevator.  _Shepard will know what to do. She always knows what to do._

* * *

After checking with Joker that Shepard had returned to the Normandy, Liara headed straight to Shepard's cabin on the crew deck to find out what the plan was. After crossing the surprisingly empty mess hall she paused at Shepard's door to knock, awaiting a reply. When none came she knocked again, louder this time.

"What is it?" came the muffled response from somewhere behind the door.

Liara tapped the HI beside the door, before stepping through to find Shepard lying on her back with what appeared to be a triangle of some sort of bread dangling above her. "I... I just wanted to find out what you planned on doing next?"

"There is no plan," Shepard sighed before taking a large mouthful. "They put an end to us, to me."

"I-I'm sorry, Shepard. I can't believe they did this to you. After everything you've done for them. It was... No one else could have done what you did."

"This isn't about me, Liara. They aren't even going after Saren. He's going to find the conduit, and... then I don't know what. We'll all be dead, dead because the Council refuses to act," Shepard sighed, dropping the unfinished food into a box beside her. "It's not even worth trying to appeal to them, they're too blind to even consider the reality."

"I went back after you left, Shepard, to speak to the Asari Councillor. She does not agree with the other councillors, but unfortunately, there is nothing she can do," Liara admitted. "She did however tell me that she believed you would do the right thing."

"I don't even know what the right thing is any more Liara. They just keep trying to stop me from doing what I need to, telling me I'm wrong!" Shepard shouted, shifting to sit at the foot of the bed.

"So you're just going to walk away? Give up? Abandon the entire galaxy when it needs you the most?" Liara argued taking a step closer to the bed. "Abandon us all to extinction? Abandon me?"

"No. I'll think of something," Shepard sighed. "I just don't know where to begin."

"I believe in you Jane. I'll be with you every step of the way. Until the very end," Liara replied, giving Shepard a faint smile as she offered a hand to help Shepard up.

Shepard smiled back at Liara as she took her hand, finding herself being pulled up to her feet. Stumbling slightly as she helped Shepard up, Liara found herself trapped between Shepard and her desk, an arm on each side of her. She gasped lightly as she felt Shepard body press into hers, their eyes locked until Shepard's lips began slowly advancing towards hers. Letting impulse guide her, Liara moved forwards, her lips meeting Shepard's in a passionate, if unskilled kiss as her hands passed around Shepard, seeking to pull each other closer. Shepard gently guided the young asari into a slower kiss as he hands slid from the desk to around Liara's back. Pulling away from Liara's lips, she kissed down the soft blue of Liara's neck, relishing it as Liara tiled her head to expose more of her neck. Before either had a chance to go any further, the worst possible voice for that moment came through the comm, demanding their attention, Joker's.

Blushing, Liara pulled back from Shepard slightly. "You should probably answer that."

"What do you want, Joker?" Shepard growled in frustration, her eyes gazing into Liara's blue orbs.

 _"Just passing on a message, Commander,"_  Joker announced.  _"Captain Anderson has asked that you meet him in Flux. He said it was urgent."_

"We'll be right there," Shepard sighed.

" _We?"_ Joker inquired before being cut off.

"I guess we're going out for the evening," Shepard laughed, trying not to appear unhappy.

"Perhaps he has some plan on what we can do? Some way to stop Saren?" Liara asked looking hopeful.

Shepard stepped away from Liara towards a mirror, pulling a hairbrush out of a drawer. "He's always been resourceful. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already got Saren behind bars."

"That might be... a little bit much to hope for," Liara laughed trying to straighten out several creases in her lab coat, before she looked curiously at the box still sitting on Shepard's bed. "What is that you were eating?"

"Pizza," Shepard stated happily, quickly finishing her hair. "Help yourself, but we should probably get moving." Leaving Liara sniffing at a slice of strange alien food, Shepard walked off towards the CIC, each step filled with the dedication she'd seemed lacking in when Liara had arrived at her quarters ten minutes ago.

Her curiosity winning, Liara picked a slice of the strange food out of the box. She sniffed at it cautiously, before taking a small bite and hurried after Shepard, taking another larger bite.

* * *

"Why did Shepard have to introduce her to pizza?"

"She's not that bad, Ash," Garrus laughed beside her. "She's just hungry."

"This place does food, but she was only interested in the human themed restaurants on the way here, especially that volus owned pizzeria we passed on the Presidium," Ash countered. "Now she's just over there dancing with Shepard."

"Oh, so that's what Shepard's doing. I was starting to worry she was trying to call for help," Garrus sniggered to the sound of Ash snorting into her glass, before trying to cough up what she'd inhaled of her drink. "Are all humans that bad at dancing, or is it just Shepard?"

"Shepard's all in a league of her own," Ash laughed.

* * *

Somehow, the music didn't seem as deafening as the last time she had been in Flux. Just being there with Shepard seemed to make everything around them fade into the background. She wasn't even bothered by a human that she could swear laughed at them as they passed.

 _"Shepard, Captain Anderson just walked in,"_ Ash said through Shepard's omni-tool.

"We'll be over in a second Ash," Shepard sighed, slowing down her movements to gently pull Liara against her. "Looks like it's back to work."

Liara silently protested, but let Shepard guide her off the dance floor all the same. They both walked back to their table, finding an additional patron sat at it.

"I see your dancing hasn't improved at all Shepard," Anderson stated as he called over one of the club's waitresses.

"I have no idea what you could possibly mean,  _Sir_ ," Shepard replied, offering Liara an empty chair next to Ash. "My dancing has always been fine."

"I was starting to think you were drowning," Garrus chuckled as Shepard finally sat down.

"If I buy you a drink, will you at least stop calling me, Sir?" Anderson groaned.

"Sure," Shepard shrugged as the waitress finally came over and took their order. "You know they grounded us? Now I know how you felt when Udina stripped you of your command."

"Yes, I tried to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you. Udina has practically had me imprisoned in his office filling out paperwork. He's trying to have the Third and Fifth Fleets stationed at the Citadel, show humanity is  _playing its part_ ," Anderson grunted.

"It'll all be for nothing unless we stop Saren from finding the conduit," Shepard groaned. "We'll all be dead. It won't make a difference how many ships are stationed here."

"We still don't know what this conduit is, but if you believe it's dangerous, that's good enough for me," Anderson said as the server returned with their drinks. They waited silently for the server to leave earshot. "You need to go to Ilos. Stop Saren before he can find the conduit."

Shepard shook her head in frustration before taking a large gulp from her drink. "There's only one ship that can get me-"

"Us" Ash and Liara interrupted.

"-us to Ilos undetected, and she's been grounded," Shepard continued.

"Citadel Control has her systems locked down on Udina's orders. If I can get into the docks, I can override their lock downs," Anderson explained.

"You'll never manage it before they work out what you're doing, the system has too many alarms," Garrus offered, cutting down the plan. "You'd be lucky not to end up in lock-up or the morgue if they think you're threatening the station's safety."

"Does anyone have an alternative?" Shepard asked looking round the table.

Everyone sat staring at their drinks in silence, trying to think of an alternative until Garrus cleared his throat. "We could recall the Ambassador's order directly, but we'd need access to the terminal in his office."

"Well, there's less chance of me getting killed, and Udina has already made this personal," Anderson said thoughtfully as he mulled the idea over.

"If he's in his office the whole plan's exposed. That, or you end up getting court marshalled," Shepard argued.

"If you don't stop Saren, it won't make a difference one way or the other. At least this way there's a fighting chance everyone in the galaxy will survive," Anderson replied causing Shepard to go quiet.

"I'll stay with the captain," Garrus stated. "You'll need my help to make it look authentic, otherwise Security will catch it as a fake order. There's a shift change in just over an hour, that would be the best time for it to go unnoticed."

"I'm going to need all the help I can get on Ilos Garrus, Saren will have his whole force there, ready to attack as soon as he has the Conduit," Shepard shouted over the table before remembering where they were. "I thought you wanted to catch Saren yourself?"

"I'll settle for you being the one to get him. Besides, the Mako only seats five, someone would have to stay behind," Garrus shrugged. "At least here I can help if the worst happens."

"Your choice Anderson, his plan or yours?" Shepard asked.

"Well, Vakarian's plan keeps my old ass in one piece. I'd be grateful for the help, especially if it gives us the best chance of this actually working," Anderson said as he offered a hand to Garrus for a handshake, which the Turian accepted.

"Are you sure you want to risk confronting Udina if he's in his office?" Shepard asked sounding worried.

"Udina's a lot easier to handle than C-Sec," Anderson replied calmly. "Besides, he made this personal."

"Okay, we'll report back to the Normandy. Garrus, you'll need to suit up in your C-Sec gear, not the Predator gear you've been using, then meet Anderson outside the Alliance Embassy," Shepard ordered before downing her drink. "Everyone else, do whatever you need to do, but be back on the Normandy within an hour! I need to give anyone that wants it the chance to jump ship."

"Good luck, all of you," Anderson said as he rose from the table. "I think we're all going to need a little luck before this is over."

"You too, Anderson," Shepard sighed as her old commanding officer left the club.

* * *

Shepard marched through the Normandy's airlock, turning towards the cockpit. Joker was still manning his post, despite the large warning notification covering every holographic interface in front of him to remind him that all systems were off line.

"How's the ship doing Joker?"

"Well, you know what she's like by now Commander. All dressed up and ready for a night on the town," Joker laughed without looking away from the displays. "Too bad she's grounded."

"Well, she's got a very important date that I would hate for her to miss," Shepard replied as she perched herself on the edge of the pilot's seat. "Might be time to resort to that age old tradition of sneaking out the window."

"You know, I've always wanted to try that. I just thought asking for help to climb down the drain pipe would rather ruin the effect."

"Leave the how to me, just be ready to plot a course to Ilos in... forty-three minutes," Shepard stated, checking the time on her omni-tool. "And can you get  _all_  of the crew in the CIC in half-an hour. If we're going to steal a ship, I'd rather give them a choice."

"Sure thing," the pilot answered, returning his head to resting on his hand to stare at the inactive controls.

With the Normandy stuck in its berth, it wasn't surprising that the ship's small crew had gathered on time. The normally small command centre was filled with people around the large galaxy map, all looking up at the command platform, and their Commander. Having already spoken to her squad, Shepard's team, apart from Garrus, all stood along the wall bordering the comm room to show their support for the Commander. Fighting back her nerves, Shepard stepped up to the handrail in front of her crew.

"I'm sure you all know why we're here. We have our mission, to stop Saren by  _any_  means necessary. The council, in their wisdom, has seen fit to prevent us from completing that mission. They've grounded this ship and ordered us not to go to Ilos," Shepard spoke, tightening her grip on the rail in front of her to prevent her hands from shaking. "Saren is still a threat to humanity, to this entire galaxy, and he needs to be stopped. Captain Anderson sacrificed his command to give me a chance to stop Saren from finding the conduit.  _I_  failed. He is about to risk everything to give  _us_  one last chance to stop Saren, to stop Sovereign and to stop our own extinction. In ten minutes, we're going to steal this ship. We  _are_  going to Ilos, we will stop Saren and we will save this galaxy," Shepard paused, smiling to herself as a cheer erupted from the crew in front of her, along with applause and several crew members punching the air. She continued as the noise quietened down, "I am asking you to break your oaths to the Alliance, to commit a crime and steal this ship. I have the utmost respect for every one of you, something that cannot be changed by  _you_  doing what  _you_  believe is right. The exit is right over there," Shepard stated gesturing towards the airlock. "We leave in ten minutes, anyone that cannot come with us, in good conscience, has that long to grab anything they need and leave the ship. Do what you believe is right!" She paused again for anyone that wanted to leave. Grinning to herself in pride as no one moved, she pushed herself off the railing before continuing. "Then to your posts, we still have a mission to complete."

The crew all saluted, with the exception of Doctor Chakwas who stood there smiling, almost in disbelief before everyone started returning to their posts. Slipping out from the crowd, Chakwas walked up to Shepard as the Commander reached her team. "You looked as white as a sheet when you stepped up there, Commander."

"Public speaking 's not really my thing Doc," Shepard shuddered. "The crew seemed to respond quite well to it though."

"You might not like doing it, but I think you have quite a knack for it. You only need to look at your crew to see the loyalty you've managed to inspire," Chakwas said before walking silently away down to the crew deck.

"Well, I thought you were brilliant," Liara sighed, putting her hand in Shepard's.

Seizing on the opportunity, Shepard pulled Liara closer to put an arm around the asari's waist. "Couldn't have done it without your support."

"I can't say hello to a stranger without embarrassing myself, and you're thanking me?" Liara laughed.

"Let's just get ready to leave, shall we?" Shepard asked as she pulled Liara away towards the cockpit.

* * *

"Excuse me."

"Hello sir, how may I help you?" The asari receptionist greeted politely.

"Could I speak to Executor Pallin please, if he's free."

"Of course. Who shall I say is asking to speak with him?

"Garrus Vakarian."

"One moment please, sir," she said as she turned to her terminal and opened a channel. "Excuse me sir, I have a Mr Garrus Vakarian that would like to speak with you."

 _"Great. I wondered how long it would be until he wanted his position at C-Sec after the order came to ground that ship,"_ The turian muttered to himself on her monitor. _"I'll be right there, please ask him to take a seat."_

"Of course sir," the receptionist said as she closed the link and turned back towards Garrus. "If you would... sir?" she asked as she realized the room was deserted.

* * *

Without pausing to knock, Anderson entered the security code into the office door and marched directly into Ambassador Udina's office. He wasn't remotely surprised, or disappointed, to find that the Ambassador was still working, even at this late hour.

"Anderson? What are you doing here?" the Ambassador asked as the Captain marched towards him. "I didn't-" Undina started as Anderson reached his desk, before a punch landed on the side of his skull, knocking the Ambassador out over his desk. Anderson carelessly pushed him to the floor before sitting down at the Ambassador's terminal.

"You should have a couple of minutes before they work out what's happening," Garrus said as he stepped into the office and sealed the door behind him. "The executor should be in the reception by now, he won't be able to question the order until it's too late."

"Just give me a minute," Anderson muttered from the desk. "And... done."

"Good, we should get going before Security catches on," Garrus stated as the door to the office opened, revealing Executor Pallin and two turian security officers.

"Garrus? What the blazes do you think you're going to accomplish by barging in here. Revenge for grounding your friend?" Pallin berated Garrus before turning to one of his officers. "Call an ambulance, tell them an Ambassador has been injured," As he finished, he stepped up towards Udina's desk, towering over Anderson. "As for you,  _Captain_ , I've heard a lot bad rumours about you, but I didn't believe you would attack your own Ambassador, the man working to help your pathetic little race make a name for its self."

"There's just one problem. I didn't come in here for Udina," Anderson said calmly.

"So, who's exactly is looking after the monitoring system exactly?" Garrus asked, unable to stop a smug look from showing. "I must have warned you that there needed to be more backups for that system a dozen times." He couldn't help but grin as a look of realization spread across the Executor's face.

"You!" Pallin snapped at one of the Security officers. "Have dock side security seize the SSV Normandy.  **NOW!** " Leaving the officer to hurry off, already shouting orders into his helmet, the Executor turned to his other officer. "Throw these two in lock-up, we'll let the Council decide what to do with them," Leaving his officers to deal with the intruders, he quickly ran back through the embassy to his office, his computer terminal glaring at him.

_'SSV Normandy command codes released. Departure underway.'_

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this again," Joker muttered.

"Stolen a ship before?" Shepard asked over his shoulder.

"Not  _a_  ship,  _this_ ship," he replied, turning round to find Shepard giving him a warning look. "Probably best to ask me after this is all over."

"Okay, but this sounds like an interesting story, and we seem to have time to kill," Shepard mused to annoy the pilot.

"What is taking them so long?" Joker moaned.

"It's only a minute since the shifts officially changed," Shepard drawled at the pilot. "Besides, the computer systems will probably take a few minutes to update."

"If C-Sec discovers what we're doing, how much control do they have over the ship at the minute?" Liara asked from behind Shepard.

"They have control of every automated system," Joker groaned looking longingly at a mug with SR1 printed on it. "And for some reason, that includes the coffee machine."

"Good to know you've got your priorities straight Joker," Shepard laughed while Liara muttered something about humans.

Fortunately, before anyone could question her on it, the displays covering every surface in the cockpit lit up to their normal status. "You missed me baby?" Joker asked the ship in excitement as he quickly began powering systems up. "Drive core, all engines, thrusters and kinetic barriers all online. Even the stealth drive is working. One problem, the dock hasn't automatically released us, they're onto us."

"Over there!" Liara shouted pointing towards the dock side, and a large squad of security officers.

"Bring the point defence lasers online and cut us free of the dock," Shepard shouted back through the CIC towards the Normandy's gunners.

Before the officers could reach the Normandy's gang way, a red beam sliced through the walkway in front of them, leaving them standing at the edge of a drop with nothing but space below them. Leaving them in their failure to reach the ship, the Normandy silently glided back from its berth, losing the remains of the docking clamps as it turned, before shooting off towards the relay, between the long streams ships of moving through the Citadel "How long is the journey to Ilos, Joker?" Shepard asked, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Looks like six hours to the Mu Relay. Unfortunately, we don't know where it'll drop us off, so we could be talking days," Joker answered calmly. "On the plus side, any distance we have to travel, Saren and that giant ship need to travel as well."

"Get some sleep before the relay, there's no telling what's waiting for us on the other side," Shepard ordered before walking back towards the CIC. "I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs anything."

"I guess this is it," Joker said thoughtfully before hitting the comm switch. "Prepare for relay jump."

"This is what?" Liara asked as the Normandy approached the large glowing structure.

"The last mission before we all get tried as criminals."

* * *

Shepard paced circles in front of her desk, glancing back at the screen every few seconds, still displaying 'Call Pending'. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of nervous waiting, a chime indicated the call had been accepted.

"Sweetheart, how are you?"

"Hi, Mum," Shepard replied happily as she seated herself in front of the terminal. "I'm... okay actually, how are you?"

"Oh, you know how it is. XO on a dreadnought is half paperwork, half public appearances," Hannah Shepard replied half heartedly. "I saw you on the news... what? A month ago now? They made you a Spectre?"

"Yeah, err... things have been pretty hectic around here," Shepard answered feeling ashamed. "Sorry I didn't call about that."

"And your own ship too," Hannah paused as a look of surprise crossed Jane's face. "Don't give me that, you know full well I see more than I'm meant to in this job. Not to mention you've been all the news stations want to talk about."

"I guess I should have told you about that one too," Shepard admitted.

"Well, it has been four months since I heard from you. It's hardly surprising that there is some news you haven't told me about," Hannah laughed. "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"I think that covers the catching up on my life," Shepard answered quickly with a shrug.

"Not seeing anyone are you?" Hannah asked carefully watching Shepard. "I know I ask this every few months, but you really should be dear. Just because you're in the military, and what happened to your father, doesn't mean you can't start your own family."

"I know mum. No, I'm not seeing anyone at the minute," she sighed, hiding her face in her hands.

Hannah narrowed her eyes at Jane. "The last time you tried to hide from me like that, you had tried to introduced the daughter of the Makalu's captain to me as your girlfriend."

"Don't remind me," Shepard groaned.

"So who is she? You might as well tell me, I've always been able to read you like a book," Hannah laughed.

"You just like tormenting me don't you?" Jane sighed. "Her name's Liara, she's a part of my crew."

"Liara... is she that weapons officer that Anderson stole from the Tokyo?" Hannah asked, trying to place the name, positive she'd read it somewhere on a report.

"No, she's an asari. A prothean expert."

"Ah, the daughter of the matriarch you... ah... I heard about that. Things must be... awkward?" Hannah asked carefully.

"She doesn't seem to blame me for it, not really. Actually she was grateful for me ending Saren's control over her," Shepard sighed "I can't quite come to terms with it, but she considers it a mercy."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised she's blue, not after that time I-"

"Do not go there," Shepard insisted as she turned scarlet. "Can we just get back to why I actually called you?"

"Of course, sweetie," Hannah said innocently.

"As I'm sure you're going to hear on the news, things... aren't exactly ideal for me right now," Jane admitted.

"You stole a ship."

"I... How do you know that?" Shepard asked stunned.

"Well, you're clearly on an alliance ship from the decor, and I got a file about the Normandy being seized to be assigned to the Thirty Sixth Scout Flotilla just before my shift ended," Hannah answered calmly as Shepard looked worried. "Don't worry, it's not general knowledge, and the Alliance won't want to advertise it. Just... why did you do it?"

"I... It's important. I can't tell you why, or you'll have to tell the Alliance. Just know I'm doing this for all the right reasons."

"I don't think I can recall you breaking the rules for you own gain. Just promise me you'll come back safe? I don't want to lose my only child as a criminal."

"Don't worry, I've got no plans on dying any time soon." Before Shepard could say anything else, two knocks came from her door. "I should probably go?"

"That's her isn't it?" Hannah teased.

"Good night, Mum," Shepard laughed.

"Goodnight dear, and good luck," Hannah finished before closing the channel.

After she shut the terminal down, Shepard walked over and opened the door, greeted by a worried looking Liara. "Shepard, could I speak to you for a moment please?"

"Of course," Shepard said politely as she invited Liara inside. "I was just thinking about you. You know you're the only person on this ship that knocks twice?"

Looking slightly confused at Shepard's question, she ignored it to push on to what she came for. "I have been thinking about you too, and... what we are about to face," Liara said stepping into the middle of Shepard's room, twisting her hands together nervously.

"It's okay Liara, I won't let us fail. And I plan on making sure we're all around to speak of it at the end," Shepard soothed, stepping forwards to hold Liara's hands.

"It's... I didn't come here to be reassured. Part of me knows how important this mission is, and the consequences should we fail. For all we know, Saren already has the conduit. I have accepted that," Liara said firmly, not quite able to look Shepard in the eyes. "I only thought we should be completely honest with each other," Liara's large blue eyes stared directly at Shepard, her voice full of determination, but still wavering slightly with nerves. She look took a small step towards Shepard as she continued. "These could be our last moments together. Our last chance to show each other how we really feel. I... want them to be special."

"Are you sure about this? I don't want to rush you," Shepard asked, although she couldn't help but hope that Liara would not change her mind.

"I have never been more sure of anything. Will you join with me, Jane?"

"Just tell me what to do," Shepard answered, offering the young asari the lead.

Throwing her nerves to the wind at Shepard's trust in her, Liara quickly covered the distance between them, threw her arms around Jane's neck as she locked their mouths in a passionate, instinctive kiss. Her desire to touch Shepard only increased as she felt the human's tongue pass over her bottom lip, causing her to let out a sigh as her fingers wrapped themselves in Shepard's hair, clinging to the long red strands. When she was finally forced to pull back to breathe, she felt Shepard's hands slide around her sides, caressing her back before they pulled her into another hungry kiss.

"You realise I have no idea how it works with an asari?" Shepard asked as they parted momentarily, sliding her hands down Liara's spine. Without waiting for a response, she claimed Liara's mouth again as she gently grasped the small swell of Liara's ass, causing her to gasp into Shepard's mouth and push into the touch.

"You do realise I have less experience than you do?" Liara giggled as they separated again. "But, I think you'll be surprised just how similar we are."

Deciding that was an invitation if she ever heard one, Shepard quickly began undoing the clasps down the front of Liara's uniform. Using her grip of Liara's jacket, she slowly walked Liara back towards the bed, taking several more kisses along the way before she undid the last clasp and dropped the coat beside them. Continuing towards the bed, Shepard grabbed the hem of the under-shirt Liara was wearing before quickly pulling it over Liara's head. It caught slightly on the back of her crest, but eventually came free with a playful giggle, and Shepard threw it somewhere behind her.

Placing several kissing on Liara's exposed neck, Shepard admired the soft curves of blue flesh in front of her. Fingers gently tracing their way up Liara's body. Amazed by how smooth the skin felt compared to her own, given the pebbled appearance of Liara's body, her hands reached the soft mounds of Liara's breasts. "You really are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," Shepard sighed as her thumbs passed over Liara's nipples, thrilled and amazed as the simple and familiar touch extracted a small gasp from her partner. "Well, that is a surprise."

"My turn," Liara gasped, catching Shepard off guard as they reached the foot of the bed. With Shepard pushing her backwards, and her hands moving towards Shepard's waist, she fell backwards onto the bed.

Shepard couldn't help but smile as she watched Liara land and smile up at her. "You're beautiful."

"You already said that," Liara said, pushing herself up to grab the front of Shepard's shirt. "Now I want my turn, Commander." Shepard found herself being pulled forward. Forced onto the bed, she put a knee on either side of Liara, straddling her waist.

Sliding her hands down Shepard's body, Liara grabbed the hem of Shepard's shirt, beginning to lift it up as Shepard's hands suddenly folded over hers. "It's been... I haven't... not since Elysium," Shepard whispered quietly before she guided Liara's hands, along with her shirt, up over her head.

Liara couldn't help but gasp as she looked at Shepard's torso. Old bullet wounds were scattered across the bare skin, including two on her right shoulder blade and what appeared to be one on her left breast, directly over her heart, obscured by her bra. Receding at Liara's gasp, Shepard moved her arms to cover herself until Liara gently pushed them away. Pulling herself up off the bed clinging to Shepard, Liara placed a kiss on Shepard's neck, unable to reach up to Shepard's lips. "You're perfect," she whispered before Shepard bent down, kissing her as the two of them fell back against the mattress.

Her confidence returning, Shepard quickly threw her bra off, kicked her boots to the floor, and pushed her trousers down with her underwear, leaving her wearing only her dog tags. Looking back up, she was greeted by Liara looking down at her, staring at every inch of exposed skin with lustful eyes, lingering between Shepard's legs and on the soft patch of hair just above. Revelling in Liara's attention, Jane eased each of Liara's shoes off before pulling her trousers down, with a little help to get them past her ass.

Shepard kissed her way back up Liara's body, teasing the glistening blue folds between Liara's legs and passing tortuously close before continuing up the smooth blue skin. To Jane's surprise and happiness, two hands slid through her hair before she could pass Liara's navel. As the fingers wrapped themselves in the red strands as they gently pushed her back down. "Please, I need you down... please... touch me," Liara pleaded. Following Liara's touch and request, Shepard slowly worked her way back down, intentionally moving as slowly as Liara would allow, kissing the soft skin at every opportunity.

"You annoying human!" Liara gasped, her hips bucking forwards as Shepard's lips kissed either side of where she wanted them, where she needed their touch. Parting her legs, she tugged on Jane's hair to encourage the red lips towards her eager body. "Goddess!" Liara moaned as Shepard swiped with her tongue, dragging it along the surface of Liara's swollen sex. Shepard licked at her again, sliding her tongue between the folds, the sweet taste and smell of the asari overwhelming her senses as Liara pushed against her, desperate for more stimulation. As her tongue passed up out of Liara's folds, the tip catching against a small hard nub, peeking out from its hood.

Liara's back arched, crying out "Jane!" at the sensation as her hips ground forwards again.

Shepard grinned up at Liara as she forced her head up, the soft mewls of protest escaping the asari as her back fell back against the bed. "Well, this is a night of surprises," Jane teased before she buried her face back between Liara's soft blue thighs, her tongue quickly finding its way back to the solid bundle of nerves.

"Some people think the protheans may have guided evolution," Liara gasped between soft moans.

"Uh huh," Shepard hummed around Liara's clit, causing a scream of pleasure to escape the young asari. "It would explain the distinct similarities," she said quietly as her hands slid up Liara's thighs. "And there are a lot of similarities." As Shepard finished speaking, she returned to teasing Liara's clit with her tongue as she began teasing her entrance with one finger, carefully watching as Liara reacted to the gentle presence.

"Please, I need... I need to..." Liara cried softly between gasps.

"Anything," Shepard replied quietly, thrusting her finger forwards into Liara's hot sex as her thumb slid up to Liara's clit.

Liara managed to whisper "Embrace eternity!" as the sensation of being penetrated stole her breath.

Liara's mind threw itself at her lover's with none of the restraint the asari had commanded previously in Shepard's mind. The sudden sensation of fingers between her own legs forced a gasp from her throat as her mind raced, the sensations matching those she could feel Liara experiencing from her touch.  _'Is that me?'_

 _'Of course,'_  came the response from Liara as her fingers relinquished their grip on Shepard's hair. 'Everything is shared through the meld. We become one.'

Enjoying the sensation through Liara, Shepard slowly pulled out of Liara's heat before gently pushing back inside, falling into steady rhythm. With her head free, Shepard returned to crawling up the blue body trapped beneath her, their legs brushing up against each other's while she placed kisses at ever sensitive spot she could find on Liara's body. As Shepard's mouth worked its way up the gentle curves of Liara's body, soft hands ran along her back, brushing their fingers over her spine and hips. Liara slid a hand between Shepard's body and her own as her lips were claimed in a passionate kiss.

Liara tried to mimic how Shepard was touching her, gently brushing against Shepard's hard clit as her fingers slid along Shepard's folds, causing a moan from beside her head. Moving on from Liara's mouth, Shepard kissed around Liara's neck towards the dark folds of Liara's crest. _'And how do these feel?'_ Shepard's lips brushed against the soft folds on the back of her neck, her body pulsing from the intimate touch.

 _'Please... more...'_ Liara gasped, her back arching as the sensation ran along her spine.

 _'How much more?'_  Shepard asked as she slid her tongue up between two of the folds. Shepard's weight pressed down on Liara, unable to support herself as the sensation shot down each of their backs, leaving them both groaning in pleasure.

Liara revelled in her position under Shepard, her hand being pushed deeper each time Shepard's hand pushed her back until they fell into rhythm, each pushing into the core of their lover as the other withdrew, feeling the pleasure of both.

 _'I need to...'_ Liara couldn't finish the sentence, unable to express what she needed she sent images at Shepard, clearly pornography.

 _'Has my shy little prothean expert been watching porn?'_ Shepard asked. She slowed her hand, extracting a moan of protest, for Liara to answer.

 _'I... I wanted to research, for you. I didn't want to disappoint you,'_  Liara struggled through the meld.

 _'You couldn't,'_ Shepard reassured. _'You want me to do this to you?'_ Shepard asked sending Liara the memory of herself having an orgasm.

"Yes!" Liara screamed, verbally and in the meld. Her hips bucked against Shepard's hand, trying to gain more pressure as the sensation of Shepard's memory ran over her. _'I... I don't know what to do.'_

 _'Do you trust me?'_ Shepard asked plainly as her hand continued thrusting into Liara, despite an increasing burn in her forearm.

 _'Completely,'_ Liara replied without hesitation through the meld.

 _'Then just relax, and don't hold back,'_ Shepard reassured her as she planted another kiss on Liara's crest, both of their backs arching again in response. _'Now let's find out if you have a G-spot.'_

Shepard stopped the thrusting of her hand, curling her finger forwards to run along Liara's front wall, repeating the motion until they felt a jolt of electricity through their bodies, shared by the meld. Repeating the motion one last time, Liara was thrown into her first orgasm as she screamed "Jane!" carrying Shepard with her.


	18. Legacies of Ilos

"Any suggestions to pass the time?" Garrus asked from the other side of the small cell.

"You've got your bed, the floor and a toilet. What more could you need?" Anderson laughed.

"A few snacks and a vid-screen wouldn't go to waste," Garrus grumbled.

"Don't suppose there's any chance of the guard giving us a deck of cards?"

"Unlikely, against regulations," a salarian guard answered from behind a desk hidden in the corner outside their cell. "Attack on ambassador of any race considered serious crime. High security procedures."

"Come on Tolan. You know me, do you really think I-" Garrus tried to reason before being cut off.

"Detective Vakarian. Always late completing paperwork, if ever. Overly fond of employing long ranged, high-powered rifles within civilian populations. Incidents of breaking procedure, ninety-seven." The Salarian answered without looking away from his desk. "I give up." Garrus sighed before collapsing against his pillow.

"And I thought turians were rigid." Anderson laughed before laying down. "Think Shepard's managed to stop Saren yet?"

"Knowing her, she's probably beating the crap out of him right now," the turian chuckled.

* * *

Liara smiled happily to herself as she felt Shepard's arm tighten around her waist, pulling her closer against Shepard's bare skin. Carefully, she turned in the human's arms to face her lover before gently kissing the red lips in front of her, slowly rousing their owner. Blinking as she woke, Jane smiled at Liara as her face came into focus before pressing against her as she stretched her body to wake up.

"Good morning," Liara uttered as she curled up, burying her face against Shepard's neck.

"Morning," Shepard sighed happily as she strained her neck to check the time on her omni-tool by the bed. "We need to get moving, we should almost be at the relay."

Liara shifted against Shepard, clutching onto her. "Do we have to? There's no way of knowing if we'll ever be able to just do this again."

"I didn't think you wanted to be reassured?"

"I lied." Liara admitted quietly.

"We'll be okay," Shepard insisted, trying to reassure her.

"You're a soldier, and we're both getting ready to go up against an immense AI that's older than either of our races, and its turian puppet."

"I promise you, we will  _all_  walk away from this. We will stop Sovereign and Saren, and I have to come back for these," Shepard promised, pulling her dog tags over her head. Liara pushed herself up onto her elbows as Shepard dropped the tags down over her head, the chain catching on her crest to leave the tags over her mouth. "That's twice that crest has got in my way," Shepard laughed.

"You seem to manage with your hair." Liara smiled as she shifted the chain off her head, clutching the tags tightly as it fell around her neck. "Thank you," the asari said with a smile as she wiped away a tear.

"You're welcome," Shepard reassured rubbing Liara's shoulder with a free hand as she sat up in the bed, struggling to keep herself covered with the bedding. "You didn't complain about my hair last night. In fact, I think you found it quite helpful."

"I might have," Liara answered as she turned a darker shade of blue. She leant up against Shepard as she ran her fingers through the hair, taking note of the alien texture.

"Unfortunately, we need to get moving. Otherwise, I'd love to stay and see how much you learnt last night," Shepard kissed Liara on the cheek, as the blush spread down her chest, before she climbed out of bed to get a compression suit for her armour.

Liara climbed out of bed, quickly throwing on her discarded uniform from the night before, before she walked towards the door. "I guess I'll see you later at the Mako?"

"Yeah, we're all going on this one," Shepard answered, nodding as she pulled out a clean compression suit. "You should probably go get suited up." Shepard watched as Liara walked out of her room, a sway in her hips she swore wasn't there before.

" _Shepard? We're almost at the Mu-relay."_  Joker's voice made her jump as it came over the comm.

"I'll be up in a minute," Shepard replied as she quickly pulled on some underwear.

* * *

"Jump in three... two... one..."

Shepard braced herself on a console as the ship lurched through the disused relay, only releasing her grip as the stars finally fell back into position through the windows. "Report, Lieutenant!"

"No sign of any enemy ships within proximity of the relay," Joker replied quickly. "Looks like there's nothing around the nearest planet either. Nothing."

"Perhaps Saren heard we'd been grounded and decided we're no longer a threat," Shepard mused. "So where's Ilos? Are we in the right system?"

" _The system matches all of the available data I've been able to find. The stars are the right class, and we do have a habitable planet in the system,"_  Pressly answered her over the comm from around the galaxy map.

"Then move us in towards that planet, and try to find us some sign of where Saren is," Shepard ordered.

"Are we there?" Ash shouted in a hurry as she ran through the CIC with Liara.

"As best as we can tell," Shepard replied as they stopped just behind her.

"Goddess. Ilos!" Liara muttered as the rust coloured planet moved into the centre of the Normandy's view ports.

"Looks like it's seen better days," Ash commented on the fires raging across the dark side of the planet.

"Anything yet Joker?"

"Looks like there's a lot of drop ships gathered around a large structure on the surface. It... seems to be intact, but I can't get any sensor readings on it," Joker reported.

"Have the geth spotted us yet?" Liara asked sounding concerned.

"Nope, our stealth drive is online and we're well outside the atmosphere for now. Unless we get close enough for them to get a visual on us, we're safe," Joker replied.

"There's a lot of geth down there, Commander," Pressly reported as she moved to a console in the cockpit. "They seem to be swarming through urban ruins towards that large structure, and then they just disappear as they enter it. It's got to have some sort of shielding to prevent scans."

"Sounds like that's our destination then. Pressly, we need a landing site," Shepard stated.

"No go, Commander. The closest landing site the geth can't fire on is two clicks away."

"Drop us in the Mako. We can land right on top of them," Shepard proposed.

"You'd need at least a hundred metres of open terrain to pull off a drop like that. The best I can do is a twenty metre strip running directly towards that building," Pressly replied.

"Twenty metres?" Ash asked in shock. "We'll never get in close enough to survive that drop."

"We have to try," Liara insisted.

"Find another landing zone!" Ash shouted at Pressly.

"There is no other landing zone!"

"The approach angle is too steep, we'll never manage it."

"It's our only option," Liara maintained.

"It's not an option, it's suicide!" Ash exclaimed. "We don't-"

"I can do it!"

"You're sure, Joker?" Shepard asked.

"I can do it," the pilot insisted.

Shepard opened up a link to Wrex and Tali over her omni-tool. "Gear up and meet us at the Mako. We're ready to drop." She closed the link as she started back towards the lower deck. "Joker, drop us right on top of them. I want to catch Saren off guard."

* * *

The Mako approached the edge of the ramp as the shockwave impacted the thin atmospheric shield.  _"Just a couple of seconds Shepard."_ Joker guided the Normandy with his normal exceptional skill. The planet's thick cloud cover beginning to thin as the ship burned through the atmosphere. The cloud vanished as the Normandy's bow lifted up, slowing its descent as a narrow strip of flat ground came into view in the centre of the vast urban ruin below them.  _" **Go!** "_ The Mako launched itself off the ramp, going into free fall towards their landing strip.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Ash muttered as she gripped her harness with white hands.

Shepard ignored her as she manipulated the rover's mass effect field and thrusters, beginning to slow their descent. The small noises of fear from behind her did catch her attention however. "We're going to be fine, Joker's drop was perfect."

"I just wish we had the same confidence in your driving," Wrex chuckled from the back seats, easily sounding the most relaxed of everyone in the vehicle.

Silence fell aver them as the ground loomed closer, rapidly approaching the vehicle. Geth came into focus, all converging on the large opening of what appeared to be a bunker at the end of their landing strip, a single turian figure just outside the doorway. The Mako landed heavily, kicking up dirt and rubble as it tried to stop. The door to the large bunker began to close as Saren's figure stepped back within the safety of the bunker.

"Shepard!" Ash warned as the doors sealed, trapping several geth platforms outside, aiming their rifles at the fast moving vehicle.

Trying to stop the rover, Shepard swerved the Mako into a half demolished wall besides them. They finally ground to a halt by the door as the rear of the vehicle swung out, demolishing the few geth that had been aiming at them.

Ash stumbled out of the door followed by Liara and Tali, swaying on their feet. "Your worst landing yet," Ash laughed as Shepard stepped onto solid ground with Wrex trying to squeeze out of the doorway.

"Come on, high-speed into this narrow strip of ground? I did a brilliant job." Shepard pulled her assault rifle out as they all moved to face the stone looking door into the bunker. "We need to get in there before Saren finds the conduit."

"I doubt we've got anything that would get us in there. Not by brute force anyway," Tali commented.

"Saren got in there somehow. There must be a security override somewhere in these ruins that's still working." Everyone turned to look at Wrex in surprise. "What? I'm not just a pretty face."

"Let's go find that override," Shepard ordered, not sure if she should be proud, or concerned.

They had barely managed to walk around the other side of the Mako before gunfire was spraying on them. Apparently Saren had left enough Geth to slow them down in the event he had been followed. Leading, Shepard ran to cover behind a crumbling pillar, struggling to find a target back along the path the Mako had just come down. As several sniper shots impacted the stone in front of her, Wrex lumbered out surrounded by a strong barrier with Liara and Ash standing behind him, using the Krogan for mobile cover. Shepard darted behind Wrex again, joining Ash in taking pot shots in the general direction the gunfire was coming from, while Wrex advanced, looking unhappy about having to use an assault rifle at the current range. Liara was putting everything she could into reinforcing Wrex's barrier.

As they worked up the wall, the source of the gunfire came into view on a half collapsed balcony, quickly cutting them down before an armature came around the corner, targeting where they stood as Shepard shouted "Run!" Wrex stood his ground, taking the blow to his barrier as he charged at the armature, pulling his shotgun out. He blasted a hole in the unit's armour before tearing everything he could reach out until the unit froze. Laughing, the krogan fired into the body until it collapsed lifeless as the others re-emerged from their cover.

"I've found it!" Tali shouted as she ran up to the group from behind the Mako.

"Slow down," Shepard encouraged Tali as she came to a halt with the group, "found what?"

"The override, there is a building half a mile from here with an active power signature, due east," Tali reported. "It's about twenty metres below ground."

"Guess we need to find a building with a working elevator," Shepard stated leading them off in roughly the right direction. They had barely gone round the corner before they found what appeared to be a door into a small structure that remained intact despite its age. It even had power if the glowing strips of light where the door sealed was anything to go by. "Tali, any chance you can open this up?"

"Not likely, I've never heard of anyone being able to hack prothean tech." Tali and Shepard turned to look at Liara. "Any ideas?"

"Not a one. I've seen experts try and open sealed doors in prothean ruins, and I've never seen  succeed, let alone managed it myself. There's just never anything to hack into," Liara answered.

"Yep, I'm not getting any hackable locking system on this door," Tali continued as she looked at her omni-tool. "But we are almost directly on top of the power source. We must be able to get down there somehow."

"Let's keep looking," Shepard sighed as she walked away from the doorway opening a comm link back to the Normandy. "Any signs of trouble Joker?"

" _Nothing. Even those geth drop ships are sitting quietly." Joker_ reported.

"There's no way he can ignore you being here after an entrance like that. You practically bombed him with a Mako."

" _I assume everyone loved your driving then?"_ Joker sniggered.

"My driving is fine, will you all just drop that joke already!" Shepard shouted into her helmet, failing to hide the smile that crept onto her face. "If Sovereign's not here then it's on its way to the Citadel."

" _You want us to hot tail it back there?"_  The pilot asked sounding cautious.

"Just don't let them impound my ship," Jane ordered. "If any patrols try to give you any trouble, just turn tail and run. Someone needs to come back to pick us up at some point."

" _Understood, Shepard. If I don't hear from you within twelve hours, we'll head straight back."_

"See you soon, Joker," Shepard finished as she closed the comm. "Anyone got a lead on a bunker then?"

Everyone looked around at each other, staring silently until Liara finally spoke up. "Taking a guess, based on what we've seen of the city's layout so far, there should be an entrance due west of here." She spoke nervously.

Shepard started in the direction Liara had indicated, straight for the asari, brushing her armour against Liara's unnecessarily as she passed. "Good work, Doc."

Unsurprisingly, they found another squad of geth, this time positioned around the entrance of a small, relatively intact building. With next to nothing around the simple structure, they quickly dispatched the geth, several sniper shots from Shepard and Ash leaving the way clear as Wrex and Tali closed in to quickly dispatch the remaining platforms that Liara forced into the open using her biotics. They quickly gathered inside the small doorway, the doors slanting much like the Citadel's elevators. They had barely all entered the small room before the doors sealed behind them, with the only light source coming from the thin glowing strips around the doors.

"You'd think the Protheans managed to invent the light bulb," Wrex muttered, shifting uncomfortably in the dark as they began a rapid descent.

"The big old Krogan isn't scared of a little dark is he?" Tali teased, giving Wrex a nudge in his arm.

"No, but normally I'm not surrounded by squishy little creatures when I'm in the dark."

"Just stop complaining," Shepard groaned as they came to a halt.

Without any warning, the doors in front of them opened to a slightly unsure looking geth, and a long dimly lit room. Before anyone else could react, Wrex's shotgun fired taking the head clean off the geth's shoulders, leaving the platform to collapse on the ground. Shepard rushed forwards, leading the rest of her team, dropping into cover behind a pillar to the side of the elevator they had just left. Liara barely managed to reach Shepard before fire was flying along the room from assault rifles, showering on the rear door of the elevator.

Everyone had managed to find the safety of cover before the barrage started, most behind pillars, with Tali behind what appeared to be a geth computer console. Carefully, she leaned around the console to check she wasn't too close to the enemy, and found an inactive armature plugged into the console. The noise of everyone else returning fire filled the air above her head as she pulled out her omni-tool, quickly hacking the console controls.

Shepard froze as she watched a half-dozen Armatures rise from behind geth hardware covering the room. Looking around in panic, she spotted Tali crouched behind a console at the feet of one of the units. "Tali!" Shepard screamed as she took hold of Liara besides her. "Run!" She pulled Liara down with her, back behind the pillar they were using for cover, shielding the Asari as best she could.

Blasts from the armatures' cannons echoed through the vast room, before the loud eruptions as the armatures exploded, leaving the room in silence.

Liara shifted under Shepard, turning her head to be met with a beaming smile from Shepard. She smiled back before Shepard bolted upright, peering out behind the pillar into the dust filled air.

"Is everyone okay?" Shepard called out. "What happened?"

"I'm good," Tali shouted from somewhere in front of them. "I hacked the armature repair stations."

"I'm okay Skipper," Ash replied as she appeared next to them.

"Nothing to complain about," Wrex grunted.

"Next time you do something like that, Tali, give us a warning. You scared the life out of me." Shepard sighed.

"Sorry," Tali muttered quietly. "It worked though."

"If I was a security override, where would I be?" Shepard asked, stepping out from her cover as she pulled Liara up to her feet. "Any ideas?"

"The protheans often build control centres in an elevated position. Presumably for the defensive advantage." Liara explained as she brushed herself off.

"Does... anyone see a balcony?" Shepard asked, trying to see through the thick dust still filling the room.

Lights flickered on around the room, their beam projected against the structure's cold, dark walls. With no other option, they all stumbled around in the dark, barely able to see past the end of their nose.

"I think I've found something!" Ash shouted from somewhere in the gloom. Everyone looked around, trying to find the source until they spotted a light waving across the ceiling.

Liara quickly managed to cover the distance before Ash lowered her torch down towards a doorway and long empty corridor. "That's just an exit. Prothean architecture tends to have their elevators running in a one direction type system. At least they did in architecture from before their extinction." Grabbing the barrel of Ash's assault rifle, she angled the light up the wall to a large empty space. "That's the control room."

Ash followed Liara off to the side muttering "Know it all" to herself as Shepard appeared through the dust which was finally beginning to settle.

Wrex and Tali quickly appeared behind them as they rounded a corner to find a ramp to the next level. Liara quickly led them up, stopping as they found a room filled with consoles. Several interfaces were lit up, offering little evidence of what Saren had done.

"Any Ideas T'Soni?" Wrex asked as he looked around the almost identical holograms.

"It's this one," Liara asserted as she moved over to a small console.

Before Liara could press any controls, Shepard gave her a playful nudge. "Are you sure you want to press that? You do remember what happened that last time?"

"I only got that wrong because I was in a rush," Liara protested as she felt herself blush. "This is a completely different situation." She looked around as she realized Shepard had moved over to another console. "Don't touch that!"

Shepard couldn't react in time to stop herself from pressing the button on the console. Before anyone else could react a hologram appeared over the console, flicking as it tried to maintain an image.

"... Too late... unable to...invading... fleets have... no escape..."

"Stupid computer. Why can't it make some sense." Wrex grumbled.

"Is that... an actual recording in Prothean?!" Liara gasped as she fumbled with her omni-tool. "I need to get a recording of this!"

"You guys can't understand that? The message is broken up, but I can understand some of the words," Shepard said.

"... seek refuge...archive...Reapers... the Citadel...overwhelmed... Conduit... hope..."

"It's all mixed up. It mentions the Reapers, the Citadel and the Conduit, but I can't make any sense of it." Shepard explained.

"I could... this is a gold mine. I would write entire papers on this!" Liara exclaimed happily.

"Okay, Liara, we know you're excited, but we don't need you to start hyperventilating. You still need to open that door." Shepard paused, looking confused. "Can asari hyperventilate?"

"No, but apparently I'm easily distracted by anything prothean," Liara scolded herself as she returned to the console to tap several controls. "We should be good to go," Liara said as she started towards the room's exit.

"If that door's not open, I vote to send the asari back on her own." Wrex grumbled as they walked back the way they came.

"You do realize Saren could already have the conduit?" Tali asked from behind Shepard.

"Yep, and if he does, we're walking straight into a trap," Shepard answered firmly. "Doesn't matter, we still need to stop him."

The three walked in silence towards the elevator to the surface. The doors opened out to the dim sunlight on the surface of the planet. Keeping a quick pace, they walked back up the strip they had come from towards the Mako and bunker.

"So, Liara, does Ilos live up to your expectations?" Shepard asked as she fell into step beside her.

"It's got a bit more gunfire than I would have hoped, but the architecture is breathtaking." Liara responded. "Just look at the archways in these buildings. Needlessly high, grand, and incredibly well built. This entire city was clearly built somewhere near the empire's peak in prosperity to have survived the millennia this well."

"You're adorable when you're like this," Shepard laughed, watching as Liara cheeks darkened. "Here we are, trying to save the galaxy, and you're still getting excited by a pile of old stone and metal."

Before Liara could reply, Wrex's voice sounded from ahead of them. "We're good to go, the asari did manage to open the door."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Wrex," Liara sighed. "Who votes we take the rover into the big scary bunker?" she asked as the dark tunnel leading underground came into view.

"I'm sure we could use some heavy firepower, especially if Saren has a colossus waiting down there for us," Ash answered.

Tali looked around the group as Shepard approached the vehicle's door. "Can someone other than Shepard drive? Please."

"No," Shepard asserted as she climbed in towards the driver's seat.

* * *

"What's going on?" Garrus shouted at Tolan as an alarm began to sound through the C-Sec facility.

"It seems we're getting reports from the Presidium," the salarian sighed. "Something about gunfire. We... we already have reported casualties and... and... Geth. What are Geth doing on the Citadel!?"

"It's Saren. You need to let us out of here!" Anderson demanded.

"That's not about to happen, just because of a security problem." Tolan insisted.

"This isn't about us. You've got a station full of people to protect, and two extra, capable bodies out there  _will_  make a difference. Saren needs to be stopped, and he has an army of geth with him!" Anderson insisted.

"Come on Tolan, you know we want to help," Garrus encouraged.

"Well, if I didn't have you two to guard, I could be out there trying to help as well." Tolan admitted.

Anderson moved to the door of their cell, trying to seem more convincing. "There are still alliance soldiers on the citadel that respect me. We can go form a squad, try to stop Saren. His first target will probably be to target Citadel control, followed by the Council."

"We can help!" Garrus urged.

"I guess I would do more good out there instead of keeping a eye on two more trained combatants," Tolan continued.

"There's an armoury right around the corner. We can all be armed and armoured within minutes." Garrus asserted.

"Your gear's right here, Vakarian. We just need some armour for the Captain, if I decide to let you out. " Tolan kicked a locker in the room as he spoke.

"We're not trying a break out, we actually want to help," Anderson groaned when the unimpressed look remained plastered on the Salarian's face. "You've got all of our travel papers, we can't go anywhere. The alliance is hardly going to protect me after I gave our ambassador a black eye."

"That's true I guess. Just don't make me come after you, I'm still technically STG." Tolan sighed as he unlocked their cell. "Suit up Vakarian, we need to find the captain some gear."

* * *

"What's the hell is happening?" Ash asked as the Mako screeched to a halt. An energy field had appeared in front of the Mako, blocking off any access further into the bunker.

Shepard looked at the camera, showing behind the Mako as another field blocked off their retreat. "I think we're in trouble."

"These look like prothean barrier curtains. I'm not sure this is Saren, the control he would need of the system to manage this is just... he wouldn't be able to do it." Liara theorized.

"Guess we should find out what's going on then," Shepard sighed as she climbed out of the door. Wrex was the last on the ground as a door opened in the side of the tunnel to an elevator, identical to the ones they had used on the surface. "Definitely not Saren."

The five of them stepped into the elevator before the doors slammed shut behind them just before the car lurched downwards, falling into a rapid descent. They waited silently, uncomfortable with the uncertainty of where they were going, until they finally came to a halt. The doors opened into a long, narrow chamber, the walls lined with more cryogenic pods. Shepard was the first to step out onto the short walkway towards a computer terminal at the end. As she approached, a hologram flickered to life in front of the console.

"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."

"Looks like some kind of VI," Tali commented. "Badly damaged, it must be ancient."

"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that passed here recently. Perhaps there is still hope."

"Why... how... I can understand you!" Liara screamed in her excitement. "This is incredible, why aren't you speaking in a prothean dialect?"

"I have been monitoring you communications since you arrived at this facility. I was able to translate my output into a format your translators could comprehend," The VI explained. "My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for now. But if my information is correct, that is about to change. Nowhere will be safe."

"Are you... sentient, or a more limited program?" Shepard asked cautiously.

"I am an advanced non-organic analysis unit, re-purposed when this planet's fall was imminent. I was built around an imprint from this facility's chief researcher, Ksad Ishan."

"Why did you bring us here?" Shepard asked, more relaxed this time.

"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand, else you will make the same mistakes we did," Vigil stated. "The Citadel is the heart of your civilization, and the seat of government. It was with us, and every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. It is really an immense mass relay. One that links directly to Dark Space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. This is also the home of the reapers. Once the relay is activated, the reapers are able to pour through, destroying the heart of your civilization, and any hope of victory in a single battle. The end of all civilization in the galaxy becomes inevitable. This was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack, and the heart of our civilization was turned against us."

"Didn't you surrender? Surely some of you could have survived?" Liara gasped.

"No request for surrender was given. The reapers had only one goal, our extinction," Vigil stated with its eerily mono-toned voice. "Through the Citadel, the reapers had access to all of our records, maps and census data. Even our most remote colonies weren't safe. It was only a matter of time. Survivors were indoctrinated, becoming their sleeper agents. Taken in as refugees, they ultimately betrayed us. Eventually, these were all that remained of the prothean empire. As mindless husks, unable to care for themselves, they ultimately died of starvation."

"What do the reapers get out of this? Why do they keep repeating this cycle?"

"The reapers appear alien to us. Attempts were made to determine their motives, to find a weakness, but ultimately they failed. Perhaps they require slaves, or resources. Unfortunately, their motivations could be completely alien to us, as are their needs. Ultimately, what does it matter. Your survival depends on stopping them, not understanding them."

"Perhaps one depends on the other. You said you brought us here for a reason. What do we need to stop them?" Shepard asked, growing annoyed at the long winded answers.

"The conduit is the key. Before the arrival of the reapers, we Prometheans were on the verge of unlocking the secrets of mass relay technology. This facility was a secret. Even our own people didn't know what was being researched here. Researchers worked to develop a small scale version of a mass relay, one that linked directly to the Citadel. This project was named The Conduit. It is the weapon you came here to seek."

"The Conduit isn't a weapon. It's a back door into the Citadel, straight past the fleets, and every defence the council has..." Liara mused, until an alarmed look struck her face. " **The relay statue!**  It's not art, it's an actual working relay!"

"Why build it on a planet? Why not put it in space?"

"We were aware of the reapers centuries before they invaded. We sought a means to defend ourselves, to fight of this coming threat. It was hoped that a means to move troops between planets without the need for interstellar vessels would offer the advantage required. Unfortunately, this goal wasn't realized before they arrived."

"How did you avoid the reapers' attack?" Shepard asked suspiciously. "If you were about to develop something as powerful as your own mass relays, surely they would want to stop that?"

"All records of our project were erased in the initial attack. Few existed, but the beacons allowed us to leave records that only an organic mind could comprehend. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility, and the surface, to wake the occupants once the danger had passed. Unfortunately, the planet's surface wasn't spared the attack. But the genocide of an entire civilization is a long slow process, especially one as expansive as ours. It was centuries before the reapers passed, with our power reserves being depleted the whole time. Eventually, a complete power failure became a distinct possibility."

"So you started trying to save more power?" Liara asked, sounding horrified at the implications of it.

"It became necessary to disconnect the life support of non-essential personnel, starting with the support staff. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top researchers remained active. Even these were in danger of failing by the time the reapers finally retreated through the Citadel relay."

"We passed hundreds of stasis pods. No doubt this facility contains more, and you just... killed them?" Liara exclaimed.

"Everyone dies, or you sacrifice some to save a few," Shepard sighed. "I feel sorry for whoever had to make that decision."

"That outcome was foreseen. My actions were a result of a contingency plan, programmed into me once it became necessary to put everyone into stasis."

"I bet they didn't tell the non-essential personnel about this programming," Wrex laughed.

"My actions saved the top scientists. This is the only reason that hope remains," Vigil justified. "When the scientists awoke, they realised the Prometheans as a species were doomed. Only a dozen individuals remained, too few to sustain a population. Knowing this, they put a plan into motion, searching for a way to stop the Reapers, a way to break the cycle forever, and they knew the Keepers were the key."

"What do the Citadel's keepers have to do with this?" Ash asked, surprising everyone after being so quiet. "They're just... bugs, mindless drones."

"We believed they were a previous species the reapers encountered, altered to suit their purposes, much like they altered our own people to become their foot soldiers."

"Husks," Shepard muttered to herself.

"They are controlled by the Citadel, responding to its commands alone. Before each invasion, a signal is sent to the station, ordering it to compel the keepers to activate the relay. After decades of study, the scientists were able to find a way to neutralise this signal. Using the Conduit, they were able to get to the Citadel and make the necessary modifications. This time, when their vanguard returned to activate the relay, the Citadel refused to acknowledge the command. The Reapers were trapped in Dark Space."

"Unless Saren succeeds, and managed to open the relay."

"Once inside, he can transfer control to Sovereign, ending all hope for this cycle."

"What do we need to do to stop him?" Shepard demanded.

"Take a copy of this file," Vigil stated as everyone's omni-tools lit up to download a file. "Insert it into the master control unit at the top of the central tower. It will corrupt the stations systems temporarily, giving you a chance to stop Sovereign."

"We need to go, Saren could already be there." Shepard ordered, as she started back towards the elevator.

"But... Wait... I forgot to record it!" Liara cried before Shepard put an arm around her waist, gently pulled her away. "But Vigil could tell us so much, everything about the protheans! Their history, their culture, their-"

"We're a little busy trying to prevent the extinction of every species in the galaxy right now Liara." Shepard stated, trying to calm her down.

"You're right, of course," Liara admitted as the doors closed behind them.

"It's tragic. Despite all their great achievements, the Protheans lost everything to a race of AI, just like my people," Tali sighed.

"And now they've joined forces to wipe us all out." Wrex groaned.

"It could be worse..." Shepard laughed.

The non-humans in the group all turned to glare at her until Liara finally spoke. "How exactly?"

"No... it's a common sarcastic..." Shepard stopped at the gaunt looks she could see on everyone but Tali's face. "Never mind..."

Before anyone could question it, the door opened to the Mako, the two barrier curtains that had trapped them now gone. They all piled back into the rover, strapping themselves in before Shepard launched the vehicle forwards, determination set on her face.

After shooting their way past several small groups of Geth and an armature, the weaving tunnel finally opened to what appeared to be a large open space, despite being buried underground. The glowing shape of the conduit stood up towards the distant ceiling, bursts of light shooting up as each geth platform stepped into the relay. The path leading down from the tunnel weaved towards the prothean technology, Geth colossi lining each side, all aiming toward the Mako.

"You're not thinking...?" Ash asked, going pale when Shepard didn't answer.

Dirt flew up as the vehicle's wheels span on the muddy surface, launching the rover forwards. Everyone apart from Shepard and Wrex screamed, clutching onto their harnesses. Firing the cannon was the last thing on Ash's mind as the incoming weapon fire bounced the Mako around. Each incoming blast seemed to move in slow motion as Shepard fought to keep them on course, multiple warning lights coming on as each shot impacted. When they finally reached the base of the conduit, the vehicle seemed to shoot forwards, knocking the air out of each of their lungs as it accelerated.


	19. Battle of the Citadel

Carried by its momentum, the Mako shot out of the relay in a long arc towards the base of the Citadel Tower. Four of the vehicle's occupants screamed as the ground seemed to fly at them head-on until they landed with the high pitch shriek of metal on metal. Skidding across the smooth surface, the front end of the Mako kicked into the air as they tore their way through several squads of geth that had preceded them through the relay. They finally came to a halt on top of the last geth platform, crushed under the ruined cannon on the Mako's roof. Several of the large wheels had been torn free of their axles, scattered about the presidium while the remainder stuck up into the air at odd angles.

After struggling to undo her harness without falling head first onto the roof, Shepard quickly kicked the jammed door of the vehicle open before a blue shape rushed past her in a hurry to exit the vehicle. She followed, finding Liara hunched over against a hand railing just beside the trail of destruction the Mako had left. "You okay?"

Liara wiped her mouth on the back of her armour before she looked up. "I'll be fine. That has got to be the worst landing you have ever done!"

"What are you on about?" Shepard protested. "I just jumped us several thousand light-years in a Mako, and we all landed safe-" She paused at an exasperated glare from Liara. "Okay, it was pretty bad."

"Two for two, huh, Shep?" mocked Ashley as she stepped out to join them, closely followed by Wrex. "Think you can destroy another before we kill Saren?"

Tali finally wobbled out to concerned looks from Ash, Liara and Shepard at a large crack down on the side of her face plate. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. The suit's already sealed it."

"So, if everyone's still in one piece, where to now?" Ash asked, looking around the ruined presidium. Several large fires were visible in the distance, while the sound gunfire seemed to be almost constant.

"Vigil said that we needed to get to the top of the tower, so that's probably the Council chambers." Shepard answered, pulling out her assault rifle as she spotted an elevator descending down the side of the tower. "Looks like Saren's sending us a welcome party."

"Who are we to refuse," Wrex barked as he pulled his shotgun out, starting towards the elevator, "even kind enough to send us an elevator."

* * *

"It would seem I'm a little out of practice," Anderson huffed as Garrus and he found cover behind one of the benches dotting the presidium. After a quick debate, they had decided that the best place to get help would be the Alliance docks, just off the Presidium. Tolan had left them to join up with C-Sec's forces and they were now half way to the docks. Unfortunately, ever corner they rounded seemed to have more geth.

"At least you can shoot straighter than Shepard," the turian chuckled as he replaced the thermal clip in his sniper.

"How much further is it to the docks?"

"I think we've got at least another two kilometres," Garrus sighed. "Seems like it's going to take us forever if we have to keep fighting like this the whole way." As he finished speaking, Garrus rose out of cover, planting shots in the optics of two geth before dropping back down.

"Well at least they don't seem to be a serious threat. I guess Saren was after a diversion rather than an all out invasion of the Citadel. I just wish I knew what he was up to." Anderson finished speaking by emptying another thermal clip into a squad of geth that had been attracted by Garrus's fire. "I just wish we knew this was coming. Instead Shepard's off chasing a false lead."

"She'll be here!" Garrus insisted as another geth collapsed.

* * *

"You'd think Saren would know better than to just keep sending waves of geth at us by now," Wrex chuckled as they rode the elevator up the tower. "He's barely slowing us down." He barely finished spanking before the brakes of the car began to whine, bringing them to a stop.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Ash sighed. "Now we're stuck in a glass box with nothing but vacuum around us!"

"Suit up. We're going outside," Shepard stated as she pulled a breather plate out from her belt.

With everyone sealed up in their suits, Shepard shattered the glass door with several shots before being the first one the climb out, followed closely by Liara, gazing at the orange glow from the closed structure of the Citadel around them. "I guess Security is working at least. I believe the Council should have be safely evacuated before they closed the station."

"I wouldn't hold much hope of that." Shepard gestured towards a large black form that appeared to be clinging to the top of the tower in front of them. "If that thing's in here there's no telling how much control anyone else has over the station. Does anyone have any idea how far away we are from that thing anyway?"

"I'd guess about a kilometre," Liara answered quietly. "One kilometre without air..."

"At least you're not doing it with a damaged suit," Tali groaned. "Might as well get moving, we're just using up oxygen."

Shepard started up the tall spire, keeping a slow pace to ensure her boots maintained a grip on the surface, with everyone quickly falling into step beside her as they followed the elevator's track. "You realize he's probably got a hundred geth up there with him?" She said sounding worried.

"If he does, I'm going to need more thermal clips," Wrex laughed.

Everyone paused to look at Shepard as she started to chuckle to herself, although Liara was the first to ask "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking," Shepard explained as she turned back to face them all, "if Garrus was here, this would almost be the perfect image for recruitment in Citadel Space. We're just missing a salarian."

"And a Volus. They'd never forgive you if you missed them out," Tali laughed.

Ash marched forwards, past Shepard as she shook her head. "When we get Saren, you can use him as a model."

They continued on in silence for what felt like at least five hundred metres up the tower, before gunfire began to fly over their heads. No one was surprised that Saren had sent troops out to try and prevent them from reaching the top. What did surprise them was the large number of krogan that seemed to be advancing on them, backed up by geth.

"I thought we killed all his krogan on Virmire?" Ash asked as hers and Shepard's assault rifles lit up with fire, silently tearing through the shields of their opposition.

"I guess he'd already begin shipping them away from the cloning facility before we got there," Shepard answered calmly. "We'd be fighting a lot more of them if we hadn't blown it up when we did."

Liara, and surprisingly Wrex, made the most of the lack of gravity, using their biotics to effectively dismiss the charging krogan with simple biotic throws and lifts, casting them adrift within the Citadel's structure. Taking advantage of the confusion in the enemy ranks, Tali easily hacked a geth destroyer, turning its powerful rocket launcher on the other units.

As the last unit fell, two more elevator cars shot down their rails towards them, one stopping in front of them, while the second stopped behind them, the glass of both shattering as more geth poured out. Unfortunately, the sleek structure of the tower offered little cover from the geth crossfire, forcing them to either stand their ground and quickly get cut down, or attempt to charge one of the large groups of geth.

Quickly switching to her shotgun, Shepard ordered everyone to advance as she charges at the group in front of them, aware they needed to keep advancing if they were going to stop Saren. She quickly blasted her way through several geth, leaving them to float off as the magnets on their feet lost power, turning back to find her team had practically ripped the remaining geth apart. Taking advantage of the now increased range, Shepard and Ash switched to their sniper rifles, quickly placing rounds in the optics of several geth, while Liara and Wrex threw several more into the air, with the final two burning out in a cloud electricity as Tali overloaded their processors.

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief until she saw a geth drop ship cruise silently up the tower over their heads, landing somewhere further up the tower. "This is going to be a long day!"

"At least we aren't running out of things to kill." Wrex laughed, resuming his pace towards the top of the tower.

"Do you have to sound so positive about it?" Liara moaned.

"And to think, you couldn't even identify a joke when you joined the Normandy, let alone make one." Shepard teased as she followed Wrex.

Liara felt herself blush as every everyone passed her before she hurried to catch up with the group as they advanced forwards.

* * *

"What do you mean, no communications? This is the Citadel!" Anderson shouted at the Corporal standing in front of him. "We fight all the way down here, and tell me you  _don't know_. Find out, soldier!"

"We haven't received any orders since this attack started, or been able contact anyone. Even short wave radio isn't working," The soldier hurried to explain.

"Then have your men gear up to move. You're coming with us."

"But... Sir, our orders were to defend this dock."

"This dock is a useless position to hold at the minute. The station is sealed if you didn't notice. There's no way in or out. Now, I gave you an order, Corporal."

"Y-Yes sir." The soldier hurried back to the outpost to have his men gear up.

"You sure we need them?" Garrus asked as he lent on his rifle. "Don't seem like the sharpest bunch."

"Every rifle helps, and if the geth try to attack this position they've got no means of retreat."

"The Hierarchy would love them. Follow orders to the letter."

"True, but only because they can't think for themselves. A soldier needs to able to think on their feet, otherwise they're just cannon fodder."

"We're ready to move, Sir." The soldier announced as he returned from the outpost, followed by five servicemen.

"Good work Corporal, our object is to secure the Council Chambers."

* * *

Fortunately, the further up the tower they went, the denser the cover seemed to become, with increasing numbers of supports and trenches to Shield them. The geth drop ship had proved problematic, until Tali had been able to hack into the Citadel's own defence turrets. With their backs now covered by the turrets Tali had managed to set to automatic, at least until someone discovered the hack.

Saren had tried the same trick, turning the turrets back on them when they reached the next gun battery, as well as sending several squads of geth and krogan at them. Fortunately , the turrets weren't calibrated to fire on a target below them and barely managed to hit the cover Shepard and her squad had taken shelter behind. After carefully dispatching the geth, a well placed shot on each cannon disabled their power supplies, letting them cover the final section of the tower unhindered.

Tali easily hacked them into a maintenance airlock, none of them willing to unseal their suits until they were in the safety of the tower where the geth couldn't override the safeties to blow them back into space. Finally, relief came when the doors opened to let them into the small elevator hub serving the council chambers. Quickly removing her face plate, along with everyone else, Shepard armed herself as they walked towards through the large doors to the long, dimly lit room. The bodies of C-Sec officers littered the stairs, laying in variously coloured pools of blood. Geth were scattered amongst the dead, the number increasing as they shot their way through the final ranks towards Saren. Sprinting the last several steps, Shepard froze with her pistol pointed towards a large computer terminal on the speaker's podium, presumably what they were there for, but no Saren.

"Wrex, Tali, go back to the entrance, make sure he doesn't sneak past us." Shepard ordered as she cautiously advanced up the stairs.

The two quickly confirmed the order before disappearing back the way they came, leaving Shepard, Ash and Liara at the podiums. Shepard slowly walked towards the console, continuing to scan her surroundings with her rifle raised as Saren rose up on his hover platform, instantly finding himself staring down the barrels of three weapons. A grenade landed at Shepard's feet, sending all three of them running for cover to avoid the blast.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," Saren drawled.

"In time for what?" Shepard shot back as she looked around her for something to offer her an advantage.

"In time for our final confrontation. In a few moments, Sovereign will have complete control of the Citadel. The relay will be open, and the Reapers will pour through. You've lost Shepard. The only thing left is for me to claim your life!"

"I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve," Shepard said as she checked the thermal clips in her shotgun and pistol. "There's always hope."

"This won't be like our encounter on Virmire. You got lucky, and I've changed since then. Sovereign has.. improved me." Saren shifted on his platform, trying to find a shot at Shepard without exposing himself.

"You let Sovereign implant you! Are you insane?" Shepard snapped, peering round the corner of her cover. "After all that research you did into indoctrination, you just let him fill you with reaper technology?"

"I suppose I should thank you really. I couldn't stop thinking about it after we met on Virmire. About being indoctrinated. It began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my doubt, my fear. Now that fear is gone, my resolve strengthened! I no longer have doubts, Sovereign is all that remains. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us, and you will be saved!"

"Sovereign is controlling you through your implants, don't you see that?"

"The relationship is symbiotic. organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, Shepard! The evolution of all organic life! This is the destiny of us all!" Saren roared.

"Saren hasn't won yet, I can still stop him from taking control of this station. Step aside, and this invasion will never happen. I can stop them from turning everyone into you. Look at yourself Saren, you're an abomination!"

"No! We can't stop it, not forever. You saw the visions, what happened to the protheans. The Reapers are too powerful!"

"Some part of you must still realize this is wrong. Fight it!" Shepard screamed at the turian.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there is still a chance for re-" He was cut off by screams of pain escaping him, bending the turian over as he fought for control of his own mind. "Sovereign is too strong. I can't..."

Shepard pushed herself up from behind the low wall she had hid behind, walking towards the turian with determination on her face, and her weapon aimed at the ground. "It's not over yet! You can still redeem yourself. Prove to everyone why you were a Spectre!"

"You're right... Thank you, Shepard." Saren said calmly before raising his pistol to his head in one smooth motion before it fired, shattering bone as the round launched into his skull at point blank range. Liara gasped as blood splattered on the white walkway, covering it in blue while Saren's limp body fell towards the green garden below him. The glass screen between the two shattered as Saren crashed into it , showering glass down on the grass as the body finally came to rest.

Not wasting any time, Shepard ran up to the control console that had appeared at the end of the visitor podium, uploading the file Vigil had given them. "It worked. Sovereign is losing control of the station, it's returning to the console!" Shepard exclaimed as she quickly began looking over the available controls.

"Quick, open the station's arms. Maybe the fleets can take on Sovereign!" Ash shouted as she walked up behind Shepard, along with Liara.

"Try and open a communications channel, we need to know what's happening out there."

"I think... Got it!" Shepard stated before voices started to come over the station's comm system.

" _... the Destiny Ascension. Main drives off line, kinetic barriers down to forty percent. The Council is on-board! I repeat, the Council is on-board!"_

" _Normandy to the Citadel! Normandy to the Citadel! Please tell me I'm not on a direct line to Saren."_  Joker's voice sighed.

"Joker, it's Shepard."

"Erm... what!? I left you back... never mind. I'm sitting at the Andura Relay with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension, just unlock the relays around the Citadel, and we'll send the cavalry in!"

"We can't sacrifice human lives to save the Destiny Ascension, and risk having the remainder of the fleet torn apart by Sovereign," Ash insisted from behind her. "Save the fleets to bring Sovereign down once the station opens."

"This is bigger than just humanity, Ash. The Council represents the interests of every race in Citadel Space, we need to save the Ascension!" Liara shouted in protest.

Shepard stepped up to the console, cautiously tapping several of the controls. "Joker? I'm opening the relays. Save the Destiny Ascension - no matter the cost! Repeat, save the Ascension!"

"Those alien bastards better appreciate this," Ash muttered to herself.

Shepard went back to trying to open the Station's arms, watching as the ships poured through the now active relay.

Admiral Hackett's voice came over the comm as the station registered his dreadnought entering the nebula.  _"Alliance Ships, move in! Secure the Destiny Ascension!"_

" _Matriarch, we're picking up incoming reinforcements,"_ a voice originating from theAscension said.  _"IFF's identify them as..."_

" _It's the Alliance! Thank the Goddess!"_ an older voice said over the same comm channel.

The three of them held their breath as the display continued to update, waiting for the result as several large alliance ships blinked out of existence.

" _Destiny Ascension, you are all clear. Repeat - you are all clear."_  Hackett announced over the com. Shepard breathed a sigh of relief as she finally managed to open the Station's arms.  _"The Citadel's opening! All ships move in! Concentrate your fire on Sovereign!"_

The tower shook beneath their feet as Sovereign's arms adjusted their grip, presumably to defend itself. A scream of surprise came from the steps behind them, followed by Wrex saying "I've got you" just before Tali and Wrex appeared behind them. "We heard gunfire, did we miss the fun?"

"Wasn't any Wrex. He killed himself," Shepard sighed. "One last chance to redeem himself. Ash, Tali, can you go check on him?"

Leaving Shepard and Liara at the console, while Wrex perched himself on a low wall, the two of them jumped down through the shattered glass towards Saren's broken body. Ash pulled out her pistol as the neared, stepping cautiously until the turian's head came into view. She fired another single round into the skull before they both turned around to climb back up as Tali opened a comm channel to Shepard. "He's dead." It didn't seem right to shout.

Before anyone could take another step, red bolts of electricity shot out from the metal walls around the small garden. The dead body of Saren screamed in agony as the current passed through him, turning the skin pitch black as it was incinerated. The platform Shepard and Liara stood on dropped an inch beneath their feet, before they felt it give way completely. Clinging to each other they dropped down to the ground, landing roughly with Shepard beneath Liara. Saren's writhing body rose to its feet, still letting out piercing screams before finally exploding into a dense black cloud.

Shaking, the four of them climbed back to their feet as the cloud dispersed, leaving a glowing skeletal form in front of them. **"I am Sovereign! And this station is MINE!"**

A roar from above them announced Wrex's arrival, before the large krogan landed fist first on Saren's skull, crushing the skeletal body to the ground beneath him. "Your head is mine!"

Before anyone else could react, the skeletal puppet of Sovereign launched its self up towards the krogan over it, slicing through the thick armour covering Wrex before it's talons dug deep into flesh beneath.

Ignoring the pain as he went into a blood rage, Wrex began landing an almost continuous series of blows against the rigid structure of Saren's hollow skull. The four other party members could only watch in shock as Wrex's onslaught went by almost ignored, before the large bulk of the krogan began to rise from the ground. Shepard and Ash fired bursts of shots at the metal form lifting their companion, proving ineffective before Wrex landed another blow in the centre of the skull. Saren simply shrugged off the attack, before launching its captive at the two marines.

Ash and Shepard dove to each side, barely missing the improvised projectile, each landing safe enough to roll to their feet. Wrex landed roughly, skidding across the ground before he came to a stop. The large krogan made a weak attempt to return to his feet before he collapsed on the ground unconscious.

Liara threw a stasis field out towards Saren as she managed to process what was happening. Stumbling back in shock as the glowing metallic skeleton passed through the field unaffected, she quickly grabbed for her pistol. Shepard, Ash and Tali all grabbed for their shotguns, firing at the horrifying form. It fired out several pulses of red light towards each of them. Each of their their shields and barriers to failed on impact, leaving them vulnerable as Saren leapt onto a wall. It scurried across the various surfaces, leaping randomly between them to avoid the onslaught of weapons fire from the humans. It continued firing, forcing the team back, into a corner of the garden.

Liara saw an opening, throwing a singularity out to pull Saren off of the wall and leave him vulnerable, but it failed to work, leaving her to scramble for cover behind a large decorative boulder. Shepard, Ash and Tali continued to be pushed back, struggling to find cover they could use, barely managing to get a shot in until it had them all backed into a corner with their shields down. She panicked, looking around frantically, searching for a way to stop Saren from closing in on the others. The only objects near her was the unconscious Wrex, who at least appeared to be breathing, and the large stone she had used for cover. Doing the first thing that came to mind, she lifted the rock before launching it at Saren on the opposite side of the enclosed garden. The shot missed, landing just below Saren's arm, but it was enough to get the monstrosity's attention. The body launched its self off the wall towards her, firing several stray shots towards Shepard's group. They panicked to dodge the fire, before Saren landed on Liara, pushing her onto the ground, trapped beneath him. Liara's hands shot up towards her neck as she felt Saren's Talons grasp around her throat. The sharp claws squeezed, threatening to pierce her skin despite her every effort to pull Saren off of her. She heard Shepard screaming "NO!" from the other end of the garden, but knew her Commander would be too late to save her. Slowly, everything around her faded into shadow as she desperately fought for air. She struggled in futility as she felt consciousness slipping away.


	20. Hero of the Citadel

Hackett watched in horror as Sovereign's weapons cut through two Cruiser of his fleet in seconds, not even giving the crews a chance to evacuate before the ships became fireballs.

 _"Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back!"_  The Kilimanjaro's Captain shouted over the comm.

"Negative! This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no matter what the cost!" Hackett ordered back.

_"It's tearing through our cruisers in one hit. If it turns its attention towards a dreadno-"_

"Keep firing! If we don't take it down now, we might not get another chance!" Hackett cut in before closing the line.

* * *

Liara pushed up at the form in front of her. Everything around her was cast in darkness, except for the pair of menacing eyes that seemed to be cutting into her as she felt her grasp on life weakening. The pain seemed to fade as memories of her childhood slowly began to play before her eyes, thinking back to her mother. Benezia had already paid too high a price at the hands of Sovereign. She steeled her look as she thought of Shepard and the Commander's seemingly inexhaustible will to fight for what she believed was right. The sound of metal tearing filled her ears before she saw the head lift away from her, the eyes faded as the distance increased.

"Nobody touches Shepard's mate!" Wrex bellowed from above her, roaring in pain as several gashes in his face visibly scabbed over. Blood covered the front of the krogan's armour, as well as filling the two gaping holes in the torso. Freshly regenerated skin was visible beneath, although it still looked like it would be immensely painful to anyone other than a krogan.

A burst of energy seemed to flash over all of the skeletal remains on top of her, reducing it to the same dust the flesh had burnt to, leaving her finally able to breathe as the claws disintegrated around her neck. Another body hit the dirt beside her, pulling her up into a sitting position as it tried to pull her close.

"Please, tell me you're going to be okay?" Shepard gasped as she reached both of them, her voice barely loud enough for Liara to hear.

"I think so," Liara croaked as she pushed herself into Shepard's arms, coughing as her lungs protested at being starved of oxygen.

"You just had to say it, didn't you!" Ash shouted at Wrex. "What was I thinking that you might be able to manage a little subtlety, just this once."

Wrex just shrugged. "They're both drenched in each other's scent. Are you really going to tell me you couldn't smell it?"

"I can't smell anything in this suit." Tali mumbled quietly to herself from a stone behind Ash.

"That's not the point!" Ash screamed in response. "It's about respecting their-"

"How about we all go get some medical care rather than standing around here gossiping?" Shepard asked the two of them as she helped Liara up to her feet. Shepard passed Wrex on her way towards the stairs, giving the krogan a nudge before muttering "Thanks for the save big guy," before leading them all out of the demolished garden, nursing their various injuries. Shepard turned back to the podium as she emerged at the top. "I'll just be a minute. You four go on ahead. Try to call an elevator."

Silence filled the room as footsteps walked into the distance, leaving Shepard staring down at the thin layer of ash scattered among the grass below her.

"You're worried it's the end, aren't you?" Liara asked from right behind her.

Shepard wasn't surprised that she'd stayed. "You have your career to go back to. Your own life, and I'm... well... this," Shepard sighed, gesturing at the destroyed room around them. "I'm just a grunt."

"No, you're the first human Spectre. You just saved the galaxy. And..." Liara felt herself blush, unable to say what she was trying to before a gloved hand grasp her own.

"I know."

A bright flash from the windows above them seized their attention as the black form of Sovereign broke apart in a large explosion. What appeared to be waves of dark energy rippled over the hull, tearing it to pieces, the explosion propelling them in every direction. Spinning on the ball of her foot, Shepard pulled Liara along as she spotted one of the black arms moving straight towards the tower. Liara gasped, sprinting with Shepard as they raced towards the tower's elevators.

Shepard stopped when she heard the windows above them shatter, using all of her momentum to launch Liara forwards, down the steps, praying that she would land safely. Liara had barely left her grasp before the wreckage landed on her, sending her into darkness.

* * *

Liara didn't move as she heard her rescuers digging their way to her through the pile of twisted metal. She only hid her face from the blinding light coming in through the new hole.

"Captain! We've found one!" A voice shouted besides her.

She looked up enough to see Anderson kneel down beside her, looking concerned. "Take it easy. It's all over. You're safe now." A tear ran down each of Liara's cheeks before she hid her face back in her arms. Anderson placed a hand on her arm, trying to reassure the asari. "Where's the Commander?"

Liara let out a high pitched sob, tears flooding her eyes as she gave the Captain a shake of her head, unable to say anything. Anderson looked over the sheets of metal, back towards the steps towards the Council podiums. Torn metal stuck out of the ground, surrounded by fires where power lines had been damaged, and anything flammable in the wreckage had been ignited.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Anderson stated gently, offering Liara a hand to help her out from beneath the rubble. Ash took hold of her as Liara reached got to her feet, giving the asari a sympathetic look as she pulled her into a hug, soon joined by Tali.

They all jumped slightly at the noise of metal crashing together, several pieces presumably falling over due to the heat from a fire. The three of them looked up towards the top of the stairs, bathed in flickering light from the flames. Liara pulled away from them as several pieces of metal shifted at the top of the pile. They shifted, only to fall away as an unmistakable silhouette slowly rose from the wreckage.

Wrex and Garrus stepped up behind the three of them to stare up at the figure with a small laugh of approval from the turian.

Liara bolted forwards, climbing her way through the jagged metal as tears streamed down her face. The metal shifted under her feet, making every metre harder to climb as she tried to close the distance between the two of them. Moving far slower, clearly limping as it clutched it's side, the shadowy figure moved down towards her, their eyes never leaving the other. Finally, they both met, throwing their arms around each other.

"I told you I had to come back."

"Show off!" Wrex shouted up at them as they held each other.

Liara buried her head against Shepard's neck until the human filled her senses. "Never again," she cried between sobs.

Once Liara had loosened her grip, Shepard began leading them down the stairs. One hand remained pressed against her side, slowing the flow of blood out of her suit. The hard plates and the suit's supply of medi-gel had minimized the wound, but she was still in need of a medic.

* * *

Liara watched silently as Jane opened her eyes, only to slam them closed again, hiding the beautiful shade of green beneath. She inhaled as they opened again, quickly looking around before sliding closed. "Doctor Chakwas? I think she's awake."

"I'll be over in a second, dear, " came the prompt reply before Jane finally managed to keep her eyes open. She looked half asleep, but seemed to be looking around the ceiling of the room, probably having already identified it as the Normandy's med bay.

"Jane?" Liara asked softly.

Shepard turned her head, searching for the source of the familiar voice. She smiled as her eyes found Liara lying in the next bed. "Hey."

"How do you feel?" An arm crept out towards the beaten up human across from her, hanging between their beds as she asked.

"Tired," Shepard answered as her hand move out towards Liara, gently grasping it.

"Well, the doctors did a good job with your surgery on the Citadel, Commander." Doctor Chakwas announced as she walked along her med bay to inspect Shepard's condition. "Unfortunately they had to ship you back here because of a lack of space after the battle. You should heal up within a few days, but I'm keeping you off duty for at least a week." Shepard just groaned in response, letting her weight all fall back against the bed. "If you behave, I might discharge you earlier.  _If_  you behave," Chakwas insisted at an excited look from Shepard. "Just try and get some rest, you've had some fairly major surgery to stitch you back together."

"I'll try doc," Shepard laughed, as she gave Liara a smug grin. "Can we talk?"

"I need to get back to my other patients," Chakwas said quietly to excuse herself.

"Of course," Liara replied softly as she gave Jane's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Could you...?" Jane asked quietly, gesturing towards Liara's eyes with her free hand. "I think we need some privacy."

"Of course," Liara replied quietly before her eyes filled with black. "Embrace eternity."

* * *

"Are they always like that?"

"Come on Joker, you know what it's like trying to have a private conversation with anyone in a med bay. At least they don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping." Doctor Chakwas replied to the pilot, glancing at the couple holding hands at the far end of the room. Liara was only in for observation, but was confined to a bed all the same, while Shepard was in to recover from surgery after being impaled. Since Shepard had awoken, they hadn't released their grip on each other's hand as Liara kept them in a shallow meld.

"Just... seems creepy. The two of them doing that in a public place." Joker muttered.

"Do you want to see them or not, Mr Moreau?" Chakwas asked sternly.

"Fine, fine," Joker sighed as he slowly made his way over to the two beds, breathing a sigh of relief when Liara's eyes turned back to their bright shade of blue as she blinked.

"Hello, Joker. It's good to see you," Liara greeted politely, while Shepard gave him a tired wave as she slowly regained her awareness.

Joker rubbed the back of his neck and he carefully placed himself in a seat between them. "Just wanted to check on you. You know, after getting left on Ilos and having to go head to head with that evil skeleton."

"Are skeletons ever not evil?" Shepard laughed quietly.

"Not that I can think of," Joker replied, clearly trying to think of an exception.

"I believe you owe me an explanation anyway." Shepard paused as Joker's face displayed a poor attempt at a confused expression. "While we were stealing the Normandy, you said 'I can't believe I'm doing this  _again_ '. Care to let me know when exactly you've stolen my ship before?"

"Well... it wasn't your ship then," Joker replied, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

Shepard glared at the pilot, despite her poor physical condition. "Joker..."

"It was the Normandy's test flight. I'd applied for the post, but Anderson had this second rate pilot given to him for the trials. I got lumped with flying some turian dignitary around. General or something."

"And you naturally thought you were the better candidate," Shepard elaborated before gesturing for the pilot to continue.

"So there I am flying through space, trying to make small talk with this uptight turian, when he states that never in a million years would a 'cripple' have control of the fleet's most advanced starship."

"And naturally, you took that as a challenge? " Shepard laughed, surprised to find Liara giving her a disapproving look. "So what, you took it for a joy ride around the system? Didn't damage her did you?"

"Nah, of course not. That would have got me court-marshalled... or worse. I locked their crap pilot, Crooks, in a shuttle." He paused at the surprised look on Shepard's face. "The guy was an idiot. I just told him I'd forgotten my data pad and he jumped to help before finding himself stuck in a shuttle with the controls disabled. Then I just had to walk on board, straight onto the bridge, right on time for the test flight. I sealed the crew off with a well placed barrier. They couldn't get to me."

"And they just let you fly off with the ship?"

"No, I sent off to fly the pre-programmed test flight, but some technician they had on board reported that the ship was being hijacked. So Anderson, this general and another Alliance captain are sitting around with their drinks, watching from the station's observation deck, and the ship's flying the test route perfectly, so they have no idea what's going on. If a dock worker hadn't found Crooks in the shuttle, I'd have flown round that course without any of them batting an eyelid."

"But..."

"Well, they found him, and I got that jackass Captain on the line telling me I had 'ten seconds to 'turn that ship around or I'm going to blast it to pieces with my patrol'!'" Joker mockingly imitated before laughing. "Yeah, blow billions of credits worth of ship up because the wrong pilot is sat at the helm. So, I ignored them for a second, they really put some tricky manoeuvres on that obstacle course, then gave them a quick friendly call to say hi, reassure them that I memorised the manifest and let them know that I'll drop her off when I'm done. Next thing I know, a wing of fighters comes in behind me, trying to force me back to the station. Now, you've seen what the Normandy can do. Hell, she managed to out run Sovereign."

"It was blinded, but that was still an impressive bit of piloting, even if I do say," Liara commented, listening in eagerly.

"So I start pulling every evasive move I've got while the patrols firing everything they've got at me, with their crew still onboard the ship by the way, and I manage to continue round the course without getting a scratch." Joker couldn't help but look proud of himself as he continued. "Now, this finally caught Anderson's attention, and he decided to call, asking 'who the bloody hell am I talking to?' " the pilot laughed, doing another of his mocking impressions. "I introduced myself with name and rank, and he just cut me off. I finished the course, still being hounded by the fighter pilots, before very politely asking control for permission to land. The woman on flight control sounded a little gob smacked, actually. Finally pulled in to dock, yes I did let the crew out, and head out to greet my welcoming committee, and compliment them on a fantastic ship. Honestly, she's the best thing I've ever flown."

"So that's why Anderson said you were in love when I came on board," Shepard laughed, almost putting herself into a coughing fit.

"Fuck yes! First words when I walked out that airlock. Next thing I know, the turian that insults me just for having an illness is telling two Alliance Captains that they're complete morons if they don't assign me as the ship's pilot. Even threatens to end all turian-human cooperation if they assign anyone else. Anderson agreed, although he did say he was going to reprimand me or something."

"Never got round to it?" Shepard asked?

"Nah. Although he was permanently in a bad mood with me after that... Think helping to save the galaxy gets me off the hook?"

"Not a chance. That's practically my job description."

Joker shrugged. "Had to be worth a try."

"So what's the rest of the crew up to?"

"Well, Ash is busy trying to keep a bunch of Terra Firma activists from storming the ship and lynching you. Apparently they aren't too happy that you called in the human fleets to save the Council from the geth, and the Citadel from Sovereign. I know!" Joker quickly stated in his defence when Shepard looked like she was about to bite his head off. "I agree, you made the right choice, and Saren was as much a threat to humanity as the other races anyway, but they don't see that I guess."

"Well we won't be staying on board too long. We want to head off station for a week while the Doc has me confined to a bed," Shepard sighed.

" _If_  I let you leave tomorrow, Commander." Chakwas answered from the far end of the room. "Otherwise you'll be staying in  _that_  bed."

"You see what kind of imprisonment I have to endure?" Shepard sighed dramatically. "So what are the others doing?"

"Garrus is organising a replacement Mako, " Both of them turned to look at Liara as she made a small cry, sinking back into the bed at the mention of the vehicle," And apparently he's not the only person that isn't too thrilled about having another. Tali is in engineering, helping out with some repairs. One of the engines is currently inoperable. They're pulling chunks of Sovereign out of it. I think she's starting to get some pressure from back home to return to the fleet. Scuttlebutt is she got a call from her father. She's been rather quiet since, which since it's Tali..."

"Joker, I'm not interested in gossip," Shepard stated.

"Fine, well... no one's actually seen Wrex since the Doc patched him up."

"Probably hitting the bars since the Normandy's going to be here a while." Shepard replied. She tried to sound like she disapproved, but couldn't help but laugh lightly. "I'm sure he'll turn up."

"Probably. Looked pretty beaten up when I last saw him though?" Joker muttered.

"He'll be fine. He's a tough old bastard. The whole regeneration thing must come in handy though." Shepard laughed.

"Would certainly beat breaking a bone every time I shake the hand of someone with a firm grip." Joker jested before slowly lifting himself out of his seat. "I should get back on-duty. Get well soon."

Joker left leaving them with his annoyingly over happy grin, before their hands returned to each others as Liara's eyes turned back to a dark shade of black.

 _'So the owner agreed?'_  Shepard thought.

 _'He was more than happy to rent to use after I told him our names. We've got it for a week.'_  Liara replied happily, sighing contently which caused Doctor Chakwas to look over at them with a smile as her next patient walked in the door.

* * *

Shepard couldn't help but feel awkward. The only one sitting down out of the four of them, since Doctor Chakwas had only allowed her to attend on the condition she remained confined to a wheelchair. Ignoring that condition became even less of an option after Liara threatened to use her biotics to restrain Shepard if she tried to stand up. The positioning of the two groups of three facing each other in the middle of a public through way, couldn't help but feel like it was going to turn into a shootout.

"Ambassador. Captain. Commander." Tevos was the only one of the Councillors that actually seemed to be smiling at the three humans in front of them. "We are gathered here to recognise the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the geth."

Shepard still found Salarians hard to read, but he at least didn't look unhappy. "Many humans gave their lives in the battle to save the Citadel. Brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we-the Council-might live."

The Turian Councillor however looked furious, although he dutifully managed to recite his rehearsed lines. "There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women."

Shepard couldn't help but smile inwardly.  _Sure, you just wish I'd gone with them. Would have saved you this whole parade._

"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers."

Tevos seemed truly sincere with her words, but Shepard couldn't help but grin to herself.  _Bet that's going to really wind that sour bastard up._

"Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for."

"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honour their memories through our actions." The Salarian Councillor begrudged every word, went along with it anyway, clearly following the decision of the other two.

"Humanity has shown its self ready as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proven your are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council," Tevos finished, smiling at Shepard as they awaited a reply.

"Councillors, on behalf of humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honour, and humbly accept," Udina replied calmly.

Shepard couldn't help but question if Udina actually knew the definition of 'humbly' as the Salarian Councillor continued.

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council."

"Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander. Do you support a particular candidate?" Tevos asked.

"We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in." Shepard smiled to herself as she heard Ambassador Udina inhale to puff his chest out over her shoulder. "Someone like Captain Anderson."

"Him?" Udina blurted in surprise. "You must be joking? Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking."

"Only with you Ambassador. I think you'd find I'm perfectly reasonable with anyone that isn't being selfish."

"Still... are you sure about this, Commander? The Captain is a soldier, not a politician," Udina questioned.

"We've already got too many politicians on the Citadel. Captain Anderson would be perfect for this job." Shepard smiled smugly as Udina's expression became increasingly bitter.

"I think it's an inspired choice," the Asari councillor commented happily. "The Council would welcome him with open arms, should he accept."

"I'm honoured Councillor. As humanity's representative, I'd do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild."

"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era for Humanity and the Council."

Shepard rolled herself forwards slightly to address the Council. "Sovereign was only a vanguard. The reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds, thousands, millions of ships, who knows. But I'm going to find a way to stop them!" Without waiting for a reply, she turned herself about on the spot, passing between Udina and Anderson towards where Liara had been waiting patiently on one of the few bridges on the presidium that was still intact.

"Shepard's right!" Anderson took Shepard's place centred in front of the Council. "Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the Council, we have the strength to overcome any challenge. When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together, we will drive them back into Dark Space!"

* * *

"Look, just let me do it!"

"No. Doctor Chakwas told you to rest, and I promised her that I would ensure you did just that."

"Some would call this kidnapping."

"I'm taking you to the apartment which was  _your_  idea to rent. Now stop complaining Shepard, we're almost there." Liara had happily allowed Shepard to climb in and out of the taxi they'd use to get to the tower building on the ward for her dignity, but wheeling herself around after being told she could still rip the sizeable wound, and future scar, open in her stomach, Liara had insisted on pushing Shepard's chair.

Shepard finally sat quietly, feeling incredibly uncomfortable at being pushed around, but at least it was Liara doing it. She did however seize the opportunity to wheel herself in when Liara released the handles to open the security lock on the door. She quickly rolled through the doorway with one push on the wheels, out of the asari's reach.

As expected, the most striking feature of the small apartment was the wall on the wall opposite the entrance, or rather the lack of wall. The surface was dominated by a large window pointing straight down the ward's length, with the Serpent nebula visible beyond. After the destruction of Sovereign, fragments of the reaper had rained down on all parts of the station, causing significant damage to the presidium and to varying degrees, the wards too. Fortunately, the tower they were currently in had received almost no damage, apart from a destroyed fighter crashing on the roof several floors above them.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Liara said as he stepped up just behind Shepard.

"Not as beautiful as some things I've seen today," Shepard replied, giving Liara a cheesy grin over her shoulder.

Liara didn't respond to the comment as she felt her cheeks blush, instead moving over to the small kitchen. "We should get some food, as well as clothes. I don't think I've owned much besides those uniforms since I joined the Normandy. Someone melted the rest of my wardrobe down in a volcano."

"Are people ever going to let that one go?" Shepard laughed, grinning to herself as she rolled over towards the flat's rather large vid-screen. "I should probably catch up on the news. Are you going to be out for long?"

"Not too long, depends if I decide to buy a dress for you to wear," Liara disappeared back out of the door as Shepard groaned, slumping her head down.

"In your dreams, T'Soni," She muttered before turning the screen on, flicking over to a news channel, predictably to find that they were still talking about the battle and ongoing efforts around the station.

"The Council still isn't meeting it its usual chambers. Sources indicate that the tower is heavily damaged. This is believed to be the most severe damage of the entire station, with much of the tower currently exposed to vacuum. We did however manage to gain this footage from less than an hour ago, of an organised meeting in the Presidium at the tower's base." The footage seemed to be from a camera a considerable distance away from the meeting she had attended with the council. "Unfortunately, we were not permitted to get close enough to record sound. We were however able to gain this footage." The screen cut to an image of Shepard rolling towards where Liara had been waiting on the presidium, the two of them smiling at each other before Liara ran a hand over Shepard's cheek affectionately. "As we can see, at least one romance seems to have blossomed under the tragedy."

Shepard groaned as the footage continued.  _Just what we need. A media circus. I just hope no one recognises Liara while she's out._

"C-Sec have also recently released this video footage from the Council's chambers during the attack. While it does omit any footage of the battle believed to have occurred between Commander Shepard, and the late Saren Arterius, it does however offer this possible insight into just how these two may have fallen for each other." The footage showed the flash from the destruction of Sovereign as Shepard and Liara started to run back towards the exit of the council chambers, throwing Liara forwards just before glass and metal crashed down on top of her. Shepard's side twinged with pain at the memory of a beam of metal that had run her through. The thought of having to pull herself free of the twisted remains of Sovereign filled her head.

"Alliance soldiers are seen on site quickly, rescuing the Citadel's heroes." The camera panned across the Chambers, displaying the damage inflicted around the room. "Thankfully, Commander Shepard is seen extracting herself before the raging fires are able to reach her." Shepard emerged on the screen, silhouetted against the fires on the Citadel. "In addition to her heroic actions taken on behalf of everyone in the galaxy, this image seems to have gained the Commander a considerable following." The camera cut back to the reporters, slowly panning out to show a large crowd behind the reporter, at the front of which was none other than Conrad Verner wearing a t-shirt with Shepard's face on it. "Many have even go so far as to dub her ' _The Phoenix'._  I'm Emily Wong, and you've been watching the Alliance News Network."

Shepard switched the screen off as she groaned in frustration. "Pirates and mercenaries I can handle, but the press..."

* * *

"Hey." Shepard greeted happily as Liara walked back in the door. "Let me help you with some of that."

"I've got it," Liara stated, pushing Shepard's hand away. "You're meant to be resting."

"Give it up already. Besides, a bag resting on my lap won't kill me." Liara walked away from her, depositing the bags on their small kitchen counter before she began unpacking. "What did you do while I was out?"

"Watched the news, browsed the extranet. Apparently people are getting very excited about some hanar movie that's not even in production yet. Oh, and the whole Citadel is going nuts for me since I killed Sovereign." Shepard sighed as her head slumped down against her chest. "Okay, I can't count Conrad, he was already nuts, but the rest of them are all new."

"Who's Conrad?" Liara asked as she put a box of cereal she'd recognised from the Normandy's mess into a cupboard.

"Just a 'fan'." Shepard groaned in response. "The guy seems a bit obsessed with me. Thankfully it was rather hard to stalk me when I worked on an Alliance frigate."

"Well, you're on the Citadel for the next six days while the Normandy's repaired and you heal," Liara prodded. "Plenty of time for him to stalk for now."

"Thank God for modern medicine," Shepard muttered.

"Don't worry so much," Liara soothed as she ran her arms around Shepard's shoulders. "They'll probably forget all about it before we're back again."

"Want to bet if the Council continues to deny the Reapers?" Shepard asked, pulling Liara down onto her lap.

"Nope," Liara sighed as she claimed Shepard's mouth in a quick kiss. "I know you'd win."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's ME1... most of it.


	21. The First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Advanced warning. I'm not covering any dental bills. Read at your own risk.

"Where are you going?" Liara asked without opening her eyes.

"Thought I'd go out for a bit while the shops are still quiet. If you try and make me sit around the apartment all day, I'm going to go crazy," Shepard replied as she pulled on a pair of jeans.

"You're meant to be resting."

"And I will, but I need a few things, so I'm going out before the crowds pick up. The salarian owned stores should be open by now."

"Humans," Liara sighed as she rolled over to hide her head under the covers, quickly falling back to sleep as Shepard struggled to get dressed on the foot of the bed.

A loud crash from in the living room woke her up again, making the asari bolt out of the bedroom in worry. She found Shepard stuck in the doorway with a large plastic tube across her lap, caught against each side of the door frame, as well as a canvas sitting several meters inside the apartment.

"What are you doing?" Liara sighed.

"This isn't as easy as you might think," Shepard insisted, as her eyes began to wander up Liara's bare legs.

"I... I was worried you were hurt."

"Liara, I've survived the tentacle of a reaper falling on me. I think I can handle a wheelchair... but could you please help me with this," Shepard sighed as she held out the long package.

Liara quickly grabbed the tube off Shepard before the human hurt herself. After safely getting Shepard back into their rented apartment, she disappeared back into the bedroom. Once dressed, wearing the only asari robe she currently owned, she returned to the living space to find Shepard kicking their sofa aside. "What are you doing?" she scolded as she moved to prevent the human from injuring herself.

"Well, it's in the way of the view. I wanted you to stand here," Shepard complained.

"In the way of what?"

"Well, it might sound a bit cheesy, but I hoped you'd let me paint you a portrait. If I'm stuck in a wheelchair for a week, I need to do something constructive. Or should that be creative?" Shepard mused as she rolled back towards an easel she'd set up in the middle of the room.

"You're not expecting me to stand there for five days are you?" Liara sighed as she adjusted the position of the sofa.

"I don't know, how long before you start complaining?" Shepard teased.

"At the rate you're going, about five seconds." Liara crossed her arms over her chest to make her point. "I don't recall even being consulted on this idea."

"Fine" Shepard sighed as she opened her omni-tool. "I could work off a hologram, but it wouldn't be the same."

"I'm sure you'll manage."

"I'm sure... Just stand there, right in the middle of the window."

"Here?" Liara asked as she moved into the spot Shepard had indicated.

"Come forwards a little," Shepard amended as she moved to lift herself out of her wheelchair.

"Shepard, you're meant to be resting," Liara scolded her again, moving as indicated.

"So that's what we were doing last night was it, resting?" Shepard teased, admiring the soft glow from the nebula bouncing off Liara's crest and robe.

Liara felt herself blush lightly as memories raced through her mind, herself on top of Jane as their bodies writhed in unison.

Shepard's omni-tool captured the form of Liara, the asari's shy, slightly awkward nature shining through.

"Shepard!" Liara shouted in mock outrage, betrayed by a subtle grin.

"Too late, I got it," Shepard teased. She smiled as an almost exact copy of Liara appeared next to her. "But look how cute you are. That adorable shy scientist I dug out of a cave on Therum. Complete with freckles and blushing cheeks."

Liara couldn't help but smile. "You're not planning on any extranet posts are you?"

"The only person I want to paint this for is you," Shepard reassured her.

"Okay, but if I don't like it..."

"You have every right to hate it, " Shepard laughed, before giving Liara a wicked grin. "That doesn't mean you'll convince me to change it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to trust you, won't I?" Liara mused as she settled herself onto the nearest sofa, opening her omni-tool. "Some of us have work to do, for now."

Shepard set her omni-tool down, moving the hologram to the desired position, before she busied herself with the blank canvas.

* * *

 "You know, I've been thinking." Shepard stated as the lent around her easel.

"Always dangerous," Liara replied coldly, before giving Shepard a coy smile.

"Most relays have drifts of several thousand kilometres and up." Liara nodded before Shepard continued. "So why didn't the conduit just slam us into the side of the station, or in the middle of the nebula, or that pizza place you ordered from twice yesterday?"

Liara felt herself blushing as she tried to hide her face behind her omni-tool. "The second time was your idea," she muttered quietly.

"No, I said I felt like a pizza since I had to watch you eat one. Then you ordered two without even asking what I wanted," Shepard laughed. "So, relays?"

Liara frowned at Shepard over her screen, "I'm not an expert on them. Reapers built them, not Protheans. You'd be far better off asking someone researching mass effect theory."

"You must at least have a guess?" Shepard asked as she put her paint brush down.

"You can guess can't you? Silly human," Liara teased.

"Casual racism, great..." Shepard ducked to dodge a pillow flying through the air. "I guess it's possible the protheans were just able to improve on the design."

"More likely the reduced size allowed for a greater accuracy," Liara offered, completely forgetting she was meant to be cross. "Or, the Reapers intentionally built the low accuracy into the design for some reason. I doubt the Promethean would have been able to improve the design, when the reapers had potentially millions of years to design the network."

"See, I knew you had a theory," Shepard laughed before disappearing behind her easel again.

"You know, you still haven't taken me out on that date you promised me," Liara stated after a few moments of silence.

"You're meant to be the one making sure I'm resting. Not running all over the Citadel on dates," Shepard replied without looking away from the painting.

"Like there's really any chance of getting you to behave," Liara sighed.

"You're just trying to get more pizza aren't you?" Shepard laughed. "Or chocolate?"

"No..." Liara replied as her cheeks turned a dark blue. "I was thinking of an asari restaurant. I've tried a lot of human food on the Normandy. I thought you might like to try some food from Thessia?"

"You might manage to tempt me," Shepard said in a sultry voice. "I like what I've tried from there so far."

Liara looked at Shepard in surprise, her mouth agape in shock, before the darker blue spread down her neck, forcing the asari to smile. "You're lucky I can tolerate you sometimes." She hid herself behind her omni-tool, busying herself with her work.

* * *

 "Come on you little bosh'tet!" Tali groaned as she pulled on the lever.

"Tali, let me give you a hand with that," Adams insisted, quickly moving over from the computer terminal he was in the middle of replacing.

"I've got it," Tali grunted, before the metal sheered in her hands. "Piece of..." Tali threw the handle down to the ground with a scream. "The whole assembly 's fused!"

"We'll just tear it out, and replace the whole system. It's not worth struggling to repair it all if it's that damaged," Adams sighed. "I'll get a team working on it. Why don't you get some rest, you've been down here for twelve hours straight."

"No, I can handle this. I'll fix it." Tali insisted without even looking away.

"Tali, I've told you before. This isn't the migrant fleet, we don't have to repair everything, we can replace it," the engineer sighed. "Go get some rest. Have something to eat."

"Fine," Tali muttered, slowly rising to her feet. "I'll stop by the mess hall, but I'm coming back to fix this."

"Well, don't rush back," Adams urged, watching as Tali walked out of engineering. He quickly placed a call to Garrus's omni-tool, relieved when the call was quickly answered. "Garrus, have you got a few minutes?"

* * *

 Tali plopped herself down in a chair in the mess hall with a heavy sigh, dropping a thoroughly sterilised bowl of soup on the table in front of her, something Garrus had recommended. She spotted Garrus walking into the mess from the elevator as she struggled to slide a straw through an air filter. The turian collected his own bowl that hadn't been so meticulously liquidised, and sat down opposite her.

"How's the work going on the drive systems?" Garrus asked, trying to seem inquisitive.

"Slowly," Tali mumbled between sips. "Thing took a little more damage that we initially thought."

"Never thought the day would come that getting to play with the most advanced ship in the Alliance fleet would get you down," Garrus commented, starting on his own soup. "I mean, you seemed like you were going to explode with excitement the first time you saw it?"

"It's nothing to do with the ship," Tali replied, avoiding his question.

"You know that we saved far more lives by killing Sovereign, than were lost on the Citadel, right?"

"Yes. Look Garrus, it's nothing here, it's my father," Tali groaned. "I received a message from him shortly after the first news reports went out on the extranet. He wants me to return to the Flotilla. Apparently, he's  _arranged_  a rather high level position for me in a research team. Something about being _'the best of our race'._ "

"Sounds like a great opportunity," Garrus shrugged. "I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, except I don't want it. Garrus, the only thing I've wanted was to be an engineer. I love ships. Playing with their engines. The challenge of keeping the old vessels running. Getting a bit dirty, staying directly involved," Tali explained as Garrus choked on a mouthful of soup he had swallowed in surprise. "A position in a lab. It's... just not me, you know?"

"I think I can understand that. My father was C-Sec. He always wanted me to join. That or the military anyway." Garrus smiled, as Tali's head tilted, and at his best guess, gave him a sympathetic look through her helmet. "I opted to join C-Sec when I was required to enter a service. Catching bad guys just seemed like the better option. Truthfully, I would rather have tried for the Spectre candidacy when I was given the option, but my father talked me out of it."

"I didn't know you were ever considered for a Spectre role," Tali stated in surprise.

"Not considered exactly. More like being considered for being considered. They had thousands of us from the year's recruits. Seems like a poor recruiting tactic, given the experience level required by a Spectre."

"So, why didn't you try for the chance to be a Spectre?"

"My father talked me out of it. He thinks that no one would be above or outside the law. To him, Spectres are the real problem. Government sanctioned criminals," Garrus mused. "Going to be rather hard to argue with him after Saren. I haven't actually had the chance to speak to him ever since I joined up with Shepard. He'd probably just shout his head off as soon as I call him, if he even answers."

"So what are you going to do?" Tali asked sounding concerned.

"I'll call him. He's still my father. He'll already know what's happened, he still has contacts in C-Sec," Garrus shrugged. "What do you think you'll do?"

"Well, I should probably return to the Flotilla. I've got my pilgrimage gift, and I've certainly proven that I'm willing to give of myself for the better of all. I just hope I can talk my way out of this damn research position."

"Well at least you'd be a researcher with a shotgun," Garrus laughed. "You should probably speak to Shepard. Let her know when you need to leave."

"Yeah... I'll... I'll miss y-everyone. I'll miss everyone when I'm gone," Tali sobbed, quickly correcting herself.

"I'll miss you too," Garrus replied with a smile. "We'll all miss you."

* * *

 "Well, it looks like there's only one asari restaurant that's still open on this ward," Liara said thoughtfully from the sofa. "I could look at the other wards, but they're likely in just as poor condition."

"No, I'm sure it'll be fine," Shepard sighed, not quite sure why she'd finally agreed to go out for dinner. "What sort of food do they do?"

"They'll probably have a little something from everywhere, but it's mostly on cuisine from an island chain off the coast from Armali. It's mostly seafood," Liara answered with a smile, laughing lightly as Jane screwed her face up at the idea. "What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know, I've just never been a big fan of fish," Shepard answered.

"I said seafood, not fish. I think you'll find that they have a lot of variety."

"Okay, sure," Jane sighed. "Make a reservation under your name. I'd rather avoid getting swamped by the press." She rolled herself off towards their bedroom. "I'm going to have a shower. Could you let me know when we're leaving please?"

Liara looked up to stare at Shepard on her way out of the room. "You know you're not meant to try and bathe yourself. You could hurt yourself."

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to come join me." Jane disappeared through the doorway giving Liara a mischievous grin, before the asari quickly followed with no objection.

* * *

 "I still can't believe you wouldn't wear a dress," Liara griped besides Shepard in their taxi. "It's just clothing."

"Exactly, and not wanting to wear one shouldn't be as such a big deal as you're making it," Shepard laughed.

"I just think you could look lovely in one, don't you?" Liara asked as she slid a hand over Shepard's leather covered thigh. "Are you sure this is suitable though?"

"You don't like them?" Shepard asked, her hand sliding over Liara's.

"Well, I didn't say that," Liara teased.

"Are you sure?" Shepard asked as she pressed her lips against Liara's in a quick kiss. "I guess you'll just have to show me just how much you like them."

Liara pushed herself up out of her seat as the taxi touched down. Her hand slid further up Shepard's thigh as their lips met again. She groaned in frustration as the car's door opened towards the restaurant's entrance. "This is just typical of your luck," Liara laughed softly before sliding back into her seat.

"You wanted to go out for dinner," Shepard stated as Liara exited the car, quickly unfolding Jane's wheelchair after removing it from the rear seats.

Shepard slid herself over towards the vehicle's exit, and into the awaiting chair. Liara quickly turned her around towards the waiting restaurant. Since the Citadel had taken such heavy damage in the attack, many of the wealthier residents had left for their homeworlds, leaving business owners and those unable to leave to rebuild the station's economy. Many of the more up-market businesses that were still open were struggling to draw in customers, but determined to stay open.

The two of them entered the establishment, to instantly be instantly greeted by a very dainty looking asari as they passed through the entry, before quickly being shown to a table. Shepard insisted on switching into one of the restaurant's chairs, a process which included several grunts of pain, and attracted the attention of several of the nearby tables, before the asari host folded her chair up into a corner behind them. She returned with two menus, which to Shepard's surprise, were printed, and left them at their table, leaving with a small bow.

"How am I meant to read this?" Shepard asked Liara quietly as the asari flipped open her own menu.

"Yours should be printed in several human languages," Liara answered casually. "They're used to hosting mixed species groups."

"Fair enough," Shepard shrugged as she opened her own menu. The two of them sat quietly studying each of their menus for several minutes, before Shepard asked, "So is there anything you would recommend for me to try?"

Liara gave Jane a knowing smile over the top of her menu. "You've got no idea about what any of it is, do you?"

"Not the foggiest," Shepard shrugged, getting a confused look from Liara in response. "No, I don't know."

Liara gave Shepard a slightly mischievous smile. "Will you let me order for you then, rather than trying to explain everything that is on the menu to you?" Shepard opened her mouth to respond, before Liara finished with "I promise, I won't order you any fish."

"I really don't have much of a choice, do I?" Shepard sighed in defeat. "Go ahead." She put her menu down as Liara disappeared back behind her own.

Liara discretely called their waiter back over, placing their order in a hushed voice, before they were both left alone again at their table.

"It's just occurred to me, all of the written information on the Normandy, deck numbers, rooms, even the bathrooms, are all labelled in English. How did you manage to find your way around?" Shepard asked, looking a little guilty at not having done more about it when Liara came onboard. Although now she thought of it, the same was probably true for Garrus, Tali and Wrex.

"Well, it's not that big of a ship, just three decks," Liara shrugged. "But, I have several programs on my omni-tool for translating prothean text. I just had to download a patch for it to handle human languages. Failing that, I just asked."

"Makes sense. The Alliance doesn't exactly plan on anyone that doesn't know a major human language to be walking around the ship, and even then, English is the Alliance's official language."

"How many languages do humans have?" Liara asked eagerly.

"I have... no idea," Shepard laughed. "I was raised on various starships, space stations and the occasional colony. The last time I was on earth was during my N7 training, I really don't know that much about it. On the other hand, ask me about the Alliance Navy and I could be far more informative."

"When did you join up?" Liara asked just before the drinks she had ordered arrived at their table.

"Eighteenth birthday," Jane answered after thanking their waiter and taking a cautious sip of the alien drink in front of her. "And what am I drinking?"

"It's made from fermented fruits. From what I've been able to tell of human drinks, it's roughly equivalent to wine," Liara answered quickly. "I think, I was still learning how to do multiplications at eighteen though."

"True, but you would have been at university while my Mum was still in diapers."

"Well now you're just trying to make me feel old," Liara pouted.

"What was it you said to me, you're only one hundred and six?" Shepard teased.

"One hundred and seven now," Liara shrugged.

"What!" Shepard exclaimed. "You had a birthday and you didn't tell me? When was it? Actually, I have no idea when your birthday is. When is it?"

"Which one would you like me to answer first?" Liara teased.

"When."

"Four days ago," Liara stated plainly.

"So... the day we stole the Normandy?" Liara nodded to Shepard in response as she took a sip of her own drink before the human could continue. "The night you... that we..." Liara nodded again. "Is that why you came to my quarters?" Shepard asked looking stunned.

"Of course not," Liara hissed, sounding a little offended. "I came because I wanted to. Because at that moment, that was the only place I wanted to be. Because I wanted to be with you. It was just another day. Asari don't celebrate their birthdays annually. We celebrate every five or ten years. When you've got a thousand year lifespan, a year doesn't seem like such an achievement."

"I just hope it was a night to remember at least," Shepard mumbled into her drink, leaving Liara blushing in front of her as their waiter arrived.

The small asari carefully placed several plates and bowls in the middle of the table with her biotics, far more than she should be able to carry, each loaded with various foods, as well as a plate and bowl in front of each her customers. Shepard politely thanked her as she left, while Liara focused on not choking out of embarrassment.

"Are we meant to eat all of this?" Shepard asked, looking a little surprised at the quantity of food Liara had ordered.

"Biotics, remember? Rather large energy consumption," Liara shrugged. "Almost everyone else on the Normandy seems to eat alarmingly small portions to me."

"You did always seem to eat your way through mountains of mashed potato," Jane laughed. "Wrex might have been the only one to give you a run for your money. I still can't believe he ate that whole varren."

"If you want to avoid fish, don't try these," Liara stated, as she lifted two of what appeared to be spring rolls off of the plate closest to her with her biotics, and placed them gently down on her own. "Then we've got various types of sea weed, that one's a noodle and poultry soup, erm... that one is made from an aquatic mammal," Shepard flinched as Liara pointed to something that looked a lot like battered fish. " and finally, that one is... erm... a sort of grain, mixed with some nuts, vegetables and spices."

"I guess I don't know where to start," Shepard half laughed, looking around for something to serve herself with. "What do I use to..." Liara nudged the handle of a shell shaped object towards her, vaguely reminiscent of a spoon, without the long handle. "Thanks."

"It's not something asari use. Children that can't use their biotics are served by their parents. Restaurants started to adopt it once we encountered other species, as well as mixed households," Liara explained.

"I guess I can understand that," Shepard offered as she piled greenery onto her plate. "Why not just bring everything out on a person's plate though?"

"Tradition," Liara shrugged, "and things get more than a bit messy once you start putting this much food onto one plate."

"Guess it makes sense. Interesting to see just how much biotics are integrated into asari culture. They seem so... alien, to most humans," Shepard explained as she took a cautious, but eager first mouthful.

"So how is your painting coming along?" Liara asked, resisting to the desperate urge to laugh at Jane's look of bliss at the new flavour, deciding she probably looked much the same when trying human food.

Shepard looked up at her, torn between swallowing, or continuing to enjoy her current mouthful. "You're not seeing it until it's done!" Shepard stated after swallowing. "I'm not changing my mind."

"I'm not asking to see it yet, I'm just curious." Liara couldn't help but grin a little. "How could I not be interested in it? You're painting me!"

"And it's still my work," Shepard countered with a mouthful.

Liara sighed as she rolled her eyes. "All the manners I should expect from a soldier. You at least look like you're enjoying it?"

Shepard quickly swallowed, and looked down at the variety of foods on her plate. "Very much. Starting to see why you go a little nuts ever time you try human food." Shepard smiled as Liara laughed lightly at her. "It certainly beats the provisions on the Normandy."

"Be fair though, before I arrived on the Normandy, I'd spent decades working in the field, moving between dig sites. My only options for food were the ration packs, and the occasional meal whenever I was on a transport hub." Liara efficiently emptied her plate as she finished speaking. "I might have to get a home comforts added to the Normandy's supplies," Liara added thoughtfully before the last morsel from her plate disappeared into her mouth.

"No objections from me," Shepard mumbled. "As long as you get some of... whatever that one is." Shepard pointed the handle of her fork in the vague direction of the grain and nuts. "Something incredibly moreish about it."

"That was always one of my favourites as a child. Benez- My mother used to cook it for me. It was one of the few times she ever cooked herself," Liara said as she smiled weakly. "The advantages of being a Matriarch."

"I'm... sorry, Liara, for what happened on Noveria." Shepard stopped eating, as she moved a free hand towards the middle of the table. "If... if there had been any other option, some way to save Benezia from Sovereign, I would have taken it."

"I know you would, Jane," Liara lamented, as she placed a reassuring hand over Shepard's. "But I am grateful that you ended Sovereign's control over her, and I know she would be too."

"I think we're going to need more to drink," Shepard commended as Liara's eyes seemed to well up with tears. She managed to catch the attention of their waiter and ordered a bottle of the wine they were drinking.

"I'm sorry," Liara uttered, holding back a sob. "I guess I haven't really had the chance to mourn."

"The only family you've ever known," Jane muttered. "All you can do is be grateful that Benezia is free of Saren."

"She is still gone though, and it only feels worse that I hadn't seen her for so many years."

Shepard gently caressed Liara's hand on the table, trying to soothe the asari. "She always loved you though, her Little Wing." Jane jumped slightly when a sob escaped Liara's throat.

Jane quickly thanked their waiter as she returned with the requested bottle, before filling both of their glasses, and offering Liara hers. "How about we drink to her memory?"

Liara raised her glass to Shepard's, before taking a long drink from it. "Sorry, I didn't plan on getting this emotional. It's just hard, not being busy. I'm used to waking up each day to a mission on another planet, or digging through a dig site for that once in a lifetime find."

"Well, I promise we'll stay busy once I'm fit to take command of the Normandy, and she's space worthy again," Jane promised with a small smile. "So... do asari do dessert?"

"Well, I'm not sure we have anything I would compare to chocolate, but I'm sure there's something sweet you'll like." Liara gave Jane a shy grin as she picked up the dessert menu on their table. She looked at it for several minutes, before putting it back down on the table.

"What did you pick?" Shepard asked eagerly.

"I'm not telling until you agree to let me see the painting," Liara answered smugly as their waiter arrived at the table.

Shepard gave Liara a playful glare as the asari ordered. "You're not seeing it until it's finished."

"Then I'm not going to tell you what I ordered."

"Tease," Shepard complained, before both of them burst out laughing together as their waiter politely excused herself.


	22. The Portrait

"That is gorgeous," Shepard uttered as she took her first bite of the pastry Liara had ordered.

"It's an Armali delicacy," Liara said as she cut into her own, "I fell in love with it while I was a child."

"And there I was, thinking I was the first thing to steal your heart."

"Sorry, Jane, my first love was a dessert," Liara giggled.

"Well this explains why I have reason to never let you anywhere near my chocolate again," Shepard stated calmly. Liara looked up from her plate, her eyes pleading with Shepard. "Fine, I'll find you some more chocolates, if you promise not to eat the whole box at once."

"That... was a little embarrassing," Liara admitted, "Especially in front of Councillor Tevos." Liara began laughing softly to herself.

"Oh no!" Shepard abruptly stated, looking over towards the restaurant's entrance.

"What is it?" Liara turned around in her seat, trying to see what Shepard was worried about.

"We need to leave."

"Why?" Liara asked, still looking for the problem.

"The man that just walked in. The blonde one, with the beard."

Liara turned back to face Shepard. "What about him?"

"He's... a fan," Shepard sighed.

"You have fans? You're a soldier, I didn't think they-you had fans."

"Neither did I, until I he started talking to me in one of the Citadel's markets one day," Shepard groaned.

"And you remembered him because..."

"He was on a news show the other day, with my face on a t-shirt," Shepard sighed.

"That seems a little... odd," Liara said thoughtfully.

"I don't even know how he got that shirt, where did he get the photo?" Jane ranted.

"So he's a bit different, but I don't see the problem?" Liara questioned.

"Did he make it, or is someone selling them? Surely they need permission to sell my likeness?"

"Shepard, we're not talking about a shirt with your face on it." Liara scolded.

"Right, yeah." Shepard leaned in towards Liara. "He just makes me rather uncomfortable."

"Shepard!" came a call from half way across the restaurant. "Is that you? How are you? I saw you on the news. That thing with Saren was awesome!"

"God help me," Shepard groaned as she straightened up. "Hi, Conrad," she greeted reluctantly as he reached their table. "I'm afraid we were just about to pay our bill and leave."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to have missed you," Conrad said looking very disappointed.

"If you'll excuse us," Shepard asked, pushing herself up towards her feet.

"Shepard, wait!" Liara exclaimed as she watched Shepard rise. Jane's hand rushed to her side as she grunted in pain, beginning to fall towards the floor. Reacting on instinct, Liara threw a stasis field at Shepard to stop her descent. She turned towards their waiter that had arrived to see what the commotion was about. "Could you fetch her wheelchair, please?"

"Of course," The asari replied, quickly retrieving and returning with their unfolded chair. Liara released Shepard from the stasis and used her biotics to ease Shepard down into the seat after she thanked their worried looking waiter.

"I think I tore something," Shepard groaned as she moved the hand clutching her side.

"We should get you back to Doctor Chakwas," Liara insisted.

"Are you okay?" Conrad asked Shepard, sounding concerned.

"I'll be fine," Shepard grunted. "Can we go now, please, Liara?"

"Of course," Liara replied as she turned on her omni-tool and turned to their waiter. "This should cover everything."

"I hope you both enjoyed your meal," their waiter said in farewell as she escorted the two of them towards the building's exit, sparing concerned glances towards her injured patron.

Liara took hold of Shepard's chair, and began pushing her towards their exit. "I could push you, Shepard," Conrad offered, sounding excited.

"Liara can do it thank you, Conrad," Shepard grunted.

The two of them quickly left the restaurant to the sound of Conrad shouting, "Get better soon," after them.

"How much did you tip her?" Shepard asked as they approached the closest taxi rank.

Liara sighed as she pressed on the console to call a taxi. "Not enough if she has to put up with him talking to her about you all evening."

"He is a bit... different," Sheppard commented.

"He's not the one that managed to make their injury even worse."

"I thought you were a doctor of archaeology, not medicine," Shepard laughed.

Liara ignored Shepard's comment as their taxi touched down in front of them. "Hold tight."

"To what?" Shepard asked as she felt Liara's biotics gently lifting her up.

"Oh, be quiet, Commander," Liara teased.

* * *

 "You have got to be the most difficult patient I have ever had," Doctor Chakwas scolded. "Two days. Two days, and you manage to end up tearing a stitch. What were you even doing, trying to stand up?"

"It's hardly my fault," Shepard protested. "It was a life or death situation."

"I wouldn't quite go that far," Liara sighed.

"Fine, it was life or insanity," Shepard amended. Liara rolled her eyes at the human, while Doctor Chakwas continued her examination of Shepard's wound, giving it a gentle prod to extract a yelp of pain from her patient. "That can't be ethical."

Chakwas stood up as she removed her gloves."I swore not to cause my patients harm. My oath didn't say anything about causing you pain when you don't follow your doctor's orders."

"How incredibly reassuring," Shepard sighed.

"You haven't done it any more damage, but it's probably going to be even more painful for you to move now, so no more trying to stand up!"

"Noted," Shepard grunted as she resisted the urge to sit up.

"And I suggest you spend the next couple of days in bed, with no strenuous physical activity," Doctor Chakwas stated firmly.

"By the Goddess!" Liara uttered as she turned her darkest shade of blue yet.

"Come on Liara, you're one hundred and seven. I'm sure you can handle an adult conversation involving sex," the doctor shrugged, as she moved back towards her desk. "You two did go and rent a small flat together after all."

"We... we..." Liara stammered, until Shepard cut in.

"She has got a point, Liara. But more importantly," Shepard turned back towards her doctor, "how come you know Liara's had a birthday, and I don't? And when are you going to let me out of here?"

"Her birthday is in her medical record, and I'll  _consider_  letting you out tomorrow morning." Doctor Chakwas stated without looking away from her desk as she started on her paperwork. "I'm sure you're welcome to sleep in the Commander's cabin, Doctor T'Soni."

"She can't stay here?"

"Nope."

"But it's my ship!"

"My sickbay!"

"Damn," Shepard muttered in defeat. "Sorry, Liara. You've got the nicer bed though."

Liara pulled a chair over to the side of Shepard's bed. "I'm sure I can make myself comfortable, but if you don't mind, I'll stay for a little while?"

"I'd love you too," Jane sighed, reaching an arm out towards Liara.

"Just for a bit," Doctor Chakwas added.

The two of them sat happily besides each other, while the doctor focused on her paperwork at her desk, across the room. The peaceful silence was only interrupted when the door from the mess hall opened to grant Tali entrance. "Doctor Chakwas, is it possible to speak with Commander Shepard?" the quarian asked nervously as she stepped towards the doctor.

"She's just back there," the doctor replied, casually pointing over her shoulder. "Just don't keep her too long."

"Don't worry, Doctor, I'll be quick," Tali answered as she walked towards Shepard's bed. "Hi, Shep. How're you doing?"

"Not too bad, I'm just being kept prisoner on my own ship," Shepard whined.

"You've only got yourself to blame," The doctor announced without even looking at them.

"So what do you need, Tali?" Shepard asked happily.

"Nothing, I just... needed to tell you something," the quarian replied while she rubbed her hands together nervously.

"Liara, could you give us a minute please?" Shepard asked.

"Of course," Liara replied calmly before she got up to her feet.

"Wait, no, you need to hear this too," Tali blurted. "My father heard about what happened. I got a call from him yesterday, and I told him about the geth data you gave me. He... He wants me to come back to the fleet, and join my new crew. He's even got me a high level research position lined up."

"Tali, that's fantastic," Shepard cheered. "I'm so happy for you."

"Yea... except I don't want it," Tali added.

"So... what are you going to do?" Liara asked.

"My father is an admiral. I can't say no. I'm expected to return, to do what he says."

"So... when do you leave?" Shepard asked quietly.

"Tomorrow. There's a ship out to a colony in the traverse, the Flotilla can send a small ship to pick me up from there," Tali sighed.

"I... we could take you out there, once the Normandy is repaired," Shepard offered. "The Council hasn't given me a new mission yet."

"Well... I guess all I can say is that I'll miss you." Shepard held an arm out towards Tali. The quarian accepted it, moving down to give Jane a gentle hug, careful to avoid the bandaged section of her torso. "I just hope we see you again."

"Me too," Tali reciprocated, pulling off to move around to Liara. "Take good care of her, and try to make sure she doesn't get hurt quite so much."

"I'll do my best," Liara laughed as she pulled Tali into a hug, "but I think that might be impossible."

"Hey!" Shepard complained. "I'm not that bad."

"Yes, you are," Liara and Tali said in unison as they separated.

"I should get going, I've got quite a few goodbyes to make tonight," Tali continued.

"We'll come see you off at the spaceport, " Shepard offered.

"No you won't, you're going to be resting," Chakwas interjected.

"So much for that idea," Shepard shrugged. "Sorry, Tali."

"Not a problem. Garrus has already offered to walk me to my transport anyway," Tali replied. "Goodbye, Shep, Liara."

"Best of luck, Tali," Liara said in farewell as the quarian left the med bay.

"Right, I'm finished for the evening," Chakwas announced as she closed down her terminal. "Shepard, you should get some sleep."

"You're giving me a bedtime?" Shepard asked in disbelief.

"Well, you are only 27," Liara laughed softly before she kissed the Commander on the forehead. "Sleep well."

Shepard watched in silence as they both walked out of the med bay and closed the door behind them, leaving her alone in the dimly lit med bay. "Well that's just ridiculous," Shepard sighed.

* * *

 Doctor Chakwas always started her morning with coffee, which seemed all the more important when she had a difficult patient to deal with, such as Shepard. She savoured the flavour, sipping from her mug as she walked into her med bay, unable to do anything both roll her eyes at the sight meeting her.

Shepard cautiously opened her eyes as she heard the door into the med bay closing. "Morning Doc."

"Morning, Shepard," the doctor replied casually. "So should I assume she's as bad at doing what she's told as you are, or are you just being a bad influence?"

Jane pulled the asari lying beside her closer, causing her to bury her face deeper into Shepard's neck and let out a content mewl. "This was entirely her doing, I just woke up and found her here."

"You two really have fallen hard," Chakwas laughed as she sat down at her desk. "Oh, to be young."

"Liara's still older than you," Shepard laughed.

"True, but she doesn't show it, does she. She's still practically a child, so full of life."

Shepard ran a gentle hand along Liara's crest. "I think that's what made me fall in love with her, she's everything I'm not."

"I'm not sure that's true, you're surprisingly similar people," Chakwas answered as she turned on her terminal. "Intelligent, funny, brave, incredibly moral."

"How many people have I killed?" Shepard asked herself.

"How many people have you saved?" Liara mumbled against the soft skin of Shepard's neck.

Shepard gently kissed Liara on her forehead. "Good morning."

Liara let out a happy hum as she curled up against Shepard's body, "Is it morning already?"

"Six A. M.," Doctor Chakwas happily announced after a large swig of her coffee.

"That does not count as morning," Liara protested, before she buried her face into the bedding.

"And there I was, thinking the two of us would be heading back to our apartment," Shepard teased as she ran a hand along Liara's back.

"I only considered releasing you this morning," the doctor sighed. "but you don't look any worse for wear. Just don't go and manage to give yourself another injury, and get plenty of rest. Otherwise, you won't be getting your ship back until I say!"

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to make it any worse. No more standing up," Shepard laughed. "We'll get out of your hair as soon as sleeping beauty wakes up."

"No rush, place will probably be empty all day, unless the engineers break something else," Chakwas shrugged.

"Yeah, but it'd be nice to get back to our apartment. Somewhere quiet, ours."

"Is the great Commander Shepard thinking of settling down?" Chakwas teased.

"Not just yet," Shepard sighed, gently stroking Liara's crest again. "We've still got to defeat the rest of the Reapers before we can do that."

* * *

"How's the painting going?" Liara asked.

Since returning to the apartment two days ago, Shepard had done little else but paint, eat, sleep and, when Liara wasn't busy completing paperwork for the University of Armali, sitting around together watching shows on the extranet and getting to know each other outside of battlefield or cramped ship.

"I think I'm almost finished," Shepard said happily. "Not quite happy with it yet though. Something is bugging me."

"Can I see it?"

"When I'm happy with it, and not a moment before!" Shepard stated. "You really can be persistent."

"I spent the last twenty years trying to prove a theory that everyone else in my field thought was laughable," Liara explained. "Persistence was essential. But now, I think Sovereign's remains should be all the proof I need."

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Jane sighed. "I received my new flying orders yesterday. Once the Normandy launches, we've got a patrol route through the Traverse. Looks more like a grand tour of the trade routes if you ask me though."

"The first human Spectre. The Hero of the Citadel. Face facts, Jane, you're famous. The Normandy is famous. Your public presence is a morale boost for the human colonies. The Systems Alliance is probably trying to regain the support of Earth's colonies after the attacks," Liara theorised, slowly eating a large purple fruit Shepard had seen her eat several times over the last week.

"I'm a soldier, I don't intend to let them just put me on display while they ignore the real problem," Shepard argued. "We should be trying to find out everything we can about the reapers, trying to find a way to stop them."

Liara stared dreamily out of the window, watching the visible flow of traffic against the nebula. "You still have to follow orders, whether they come from the Alliance or the Council."

"Something's not right," Shepard sighed.

Liara shrugged. "There's always something a little off with politics."

"No, not that. Something doesn't look right, and I can't for the life of me, work out what."

Liara rolled her eyes. "Always got your priorities straight haven't you?"

"I can't change my orders. There's a reason they call them orders. What I can do, is get this painting right."

"I don't think it's actually possible to get a painting  _wrong_ ," Liara laughed. "But if I was allowed to see it, I might be able to help you with it."

"Not until I'm done, and I'm really starting to sound like a broken record," Shepard groaned.

"You do keep saying the same thing," Liara giggled as she walked towards the back of the easel.

"Only because you keep asking me the same question," Shepard complained.

"Have you tried changing your answer?"

"No, and I'm not going to change my answer to this one either!" Shepard gave Liara a lopsided grin, right before her brush made a quick swipe down the asari's nose. "You can, however, look at that one in the mirror."

"This isn't fair," Liara complained as she tried to wipe the paint off of her nose, covering her fingers in purple paint.

"I don't recall ever claiming to fight fair?" Shepard mused as she made a small adjustment to her painting.

"Well, in that case..." Liara put a stroke of paint along Shepard's nose with her finger.

"You're not going to leave me alone to finish this, are you?" Shepard asked, before Liara shook her head in response. "Fine... take a look."

Liara practically lept around the easel, planting herself behind Shepard with her head resting on the human's shoulder. "Shepard, it's..."

"I know, it's not right. I just can't put my finger on what the problem is," Shepard groaned.

"Jane, it's beautiful," Liara whispered before she placed a kiss on the side of the human's head. She let out a small coo as she settled back against Shepard's shoulder. Her eyes were instantly drawn back the innocent image of herself capture on the canvas, her cheeks a subtle shade darker than the rest of the visible bright blue skin. The happy asari had her hands clasped behind her back, while her shy smile seemed to radiate warmth. The serpent nebula seemed to drift in the background while the gentle glow of the nebula appeared to dance across Liara's bright skin.

"Is this how you really see me?" Liara asked.

"Nope. I can't even come close to doing you justice," Shepard sighed dreamily. She reached up to gently caress Liara's cheek besides her. "I do know I can do better than this though."

"Well, you need a shower first," Liara laughed. "It seems someone has put paint in your hair." She placed another kiss on top of the human's head, leaving another smudge of paint from her nose, before walking off towards their bathroom.

"You really haven't given me much of a choice, have you?" Shepard sighed.

Liara paused in the doorway, looking back at Shepard. "You can finish your painting tomorrow morning before we launch again. First though, I'm going to wash your hair."

"What is your obsession with my hair?" Shepard laughed.

"I'm not obsessed," Liara protested.

"Just obsessed with touching it," Jane amended.

"Do you want that paint to dry?" Liara asked before she disappeared into the bedroom. Her robe landed just within the doorway after she left Shepard's line of sight.

Shepard rolled into the bathroom to find Liara already beneath the shower, enjoying the sensation as the streams of hot water cascaded over her body. The water flowing along her crest crashed towards the ground, streams flowing down her bare back and the gentle curves of her behind. She slowly turned towards Jane, her arms half attempting to cover herself. "Are you going to join me?"

"I might," Shepard smiled. Her gaze never wavered as it slowly took in the supple blue body in front of her. "I could use a hand though." She quickly pulled off her t-shirt, discarding it to the side, along with her bra. She slowly rose from her seat as the gentle glow of Liara's biotics enveloped her, allowing the human to quickly kick of her sock as her jeans and underwear fell to the floor beneath her. "Back down, please?"

Liara eased Shepard to the ground, slowly putting the human's weight onto her own feet as she turned back around. Jane cautiously stepped into the shower behind Liara, pressing herself up against Liara's smooth scaled back. She lightly kissed the side of Liara's neck as her hands slid around the blue waist in front of her.

Liara gently pushed back against Shepard at the touch, she turned to gently nuzzle Shepard's neck. "You know we aren't allowed to do anything."

"Says who?" Shepard whispered.

"Your doctor," Liara laughed before gently tugging Shepard under the hot stream of water. "For now, we need to wash that paint out."

"It's your fault it's there in the first place," Shepard teased.

"Then I guess I'll just have to help you remove it," Liara sighed as she ran her fingers through the thick forest of red hair covering Shepard's head.

"You're never going to get bored of that, are you?" Shepard asked as Liara continued to play with her hair.

"Turn around, please?" Liara asked, as completely ignored Shepard's question and reached for a bottle of soap.

"Never happy, are you," Jane sighed, slowly turning towards the shower door. "And you won't even let me touch," Shepard complained as she grasped at the back of Liara's thighs, pulling the blue body against hers.

"Jane!" Liara squeaked in surprise, as the human laughed lightly.

Shepard laughed lightly. "Stop teasing, and get on with it."

Liara built up a generous lather in her hands. "And I always thought soldiers were meant to be nothing but patience and willpower."

"Does that really sound like me?" Shepard asked as she tilted her head back into the water to let Liara reach it easier.

"Not even a little," Liara joked as her fingers slid back among the human's hair.

"Ouch, right in my pride," Shepard laughed. "Not sure I could have coped with being caught in that prothean bubble thing back on Therum, though."

"It was only a couple of days," Liara said happily while she watched the foam forming in Shepard's hair. "It didn't do me any damage a few meals and a little exercise couldn't fix."

"Maybe, but I don't think I could take being trapped like that. Unable to fight, sleep, or even move for that long."

"It's still probably the best thing that ever happened to me," Liara sighed. "If I hadn't made it into the ruins, I would have been killed. If I hadn't activated the bubble by mistake, there's no telling what would have happened."

Shepard suddenly turned, catching Liara in an unexpected kiss. "Well, I'm glad you're here. This would have been a very boring week without you."

"Is that the only thing you keep me around for?" Liara pretended to pout.

"Nah, you're pretty good at kicking ass too," Shepard smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen another biotic as skilled as you before."

"The advantages of being an asari," Liara sighed as she finished rinsing the soap out of Shepard's hair. "You're done."

"That's all I get?"

Liara shut the water off and slid herself around Shepard, moving towards the shower's exit. "Yep, hair's all clean."

"At what point was this about getting clean?" Shepard protested.

"The point at which you decided to paint my nose." Liara complained as she pulled a towel on.

"So... if I go get my paintbrush..."

"I'll start throwing towels at you," Liara threatened.

"That hardly sounds fair," Shepard complained before she caught a towel that the asari had thrown at her head.

"I'm going to head to bed. I'm exhausted." Liara yawned as she dried herself off.

"I have to admit, that shower wore me out. Standing is still more tiring than it should be."

Liara dropped her towel as she stepped back up against Shepard, gently caressing the raw, new skin covering the humans side. "At least you look like you're well on the way to a full recovery. Doctor Chakwas said you should be fit to return to duty tomorrow."

"Might be a few more days before I'm going on any ground missions. But, it's unlikely there'll be any of those for a while, especially if we're just going to be patrolling trade routes."

"Not worried you're not going to be essential?" Liara asked as she headed back into their bedroom.

Shepard followed Liara as she wrapped her towel around her head. "No, I was just worried I was going to be bored... I am now though."

"You're still the Normandy's Commanding Officer," Liara offered reassuringly as she started peeling back the covers of their bed. "The crew trusts you. They respect you. For now, though, get some sleep."

"Sounds like a plan," Jane yawned as she discarded her towels. The two of them silently climbed into bed and pulled the bedding back over themselves. "Good-night, Blue."

"Blue?" Liara asked quietly.

"Sleep well," Shepard sighed as she pulled the two of them against each other beneath the warm sheets.

"Good-night, Jane."

* * *

 "Are we all set to go, Joker?" Shepard asked the pilot.

"The board reads green," he reported.

"Take us out, I need to get some space back beneath my feet."

"You've spent the last week resting on a space station, at what point didn't you have space beneath you?" Liara asked from her perch in the co-pilot's seat.

"The point at which there wasn't an engine propelling me through a giant vacuum," Shepard complained.

"You were raised in space, weren't you?" Joker asked as the Normandy glided out of its berth.

"Born  _and_  raised. My mother gave birth to me on a hospital ship, spent my childhood on military postings with her," Shepard replied.

"What about school?" Liara asked in surprise. "I've never heard of a school on a starship."

"There's a school on Arc for the children of military personnel, but primary education exists on the larger cruisers and dreadnoughts," Shepard shrugged.

"It must have been very lonely," Liara whispered quietly.

"No more than digging through ruins," Shepard said quietly before she placed a gentle kiss on the top of Liara's crest.

"Point taken," Liara replied happily with a smile.

Shepard turned her head back towards the pilot, feeling like she was being watched. "Eyes on the relay, Flight-Lieutenant."

"Yes, Commander," Joker answered before his head snapped back forwards and opened the ship's comm. "Jump in three... two... one..."


	23. Bad Blood

"How about now?" Shepard asked.

"Move the left side up a little," Liara answered from behind her. "I would have thought humans could have come up with a better way to hang a picture than just by eye."

"I don't see you making any suggestions," Jane grunted as she lifted one side of the painting in her hands.

"You didn't like my suggestion," Liara pouted.

"I am not hammering a hole in the wall of my starship," Shepard stated.

"Stop there!" Liara exclaimed as Shepard adjusted the painting again. "That's perfect."

Shepard sealed the adhesive on the back of the canvas's frame against the wall, before she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "That's certainly brightened the wall up," Shepard sighed as she pulled Liara against her side.

"Brightens the whole room up," Liara laughed.

"It's not like I got to choose the colour scheme!" Shepard protested.

"Well, it's terrible," Liara teased, "far too much black."

"I didn't choose it," Shepard protested again.

" _Commander?"_ Joker's voice filled the room as it came over the comm.  _"We've picked up a signal you're going to want to check out."_

"I'll be right up," Shepard replied before she turned towards Liara. "Feel like going for a walk?"

"I guess so, beats hanging around in this cave," Liara answered before turning to walk out the room as Jane rolled her eyes.

Most of the crew was sat around the mess hall as they passed through. Since leaving the Citadel, the last several days had proved incredibly uneventful. Most of the crew was simply relieved that they weren't being shot at, or worse, but Shepard was getting bored out of her mind.

"What have we got, Joker?" Shepard asked eagerly as she and Liara reached the cockpit.

"One standard civilian distress beacon. No message, just a locator, and a time. Looks like it's been active for about two hours," Joker replied. "Could be nothing."

"Or, we could have just found the site of a pirate raid, geth attack, slave grab..." Shepard exclaimed happily, only to receive a scolding glare from Liara.

"Well, the planet's a giant empty desert, no colonies," Joker shrugged as the planet came into view. "Doesn't even have a breathable atmosphere."

"We'll suit up and get ready to check it out. Take us in cloaked," Shepard ordered before she turned back towards the stairway.

Five minutes later, Garrus, Ash and Shepard were trying to persuade a very pale looking Liara to get into the Mako.

"What if we don't let Shepard drive?" Ash suggested. Liara just shook her head in response.

"What if I drive really slowly?" Jane tried. "I promise, no mass relays." Liara shook her head more vigorously, clutching tightly to Jane's arm.

"What if we just tie Shepard up, and throw her into one of the back seats?" Garrus laughed, before he got a glare from all three women beside him. "What?"

"Liara, you don't have to come down with us, I'm sure we can handle it. But, if you want to come, you're going to have to get in the Mako," Shepard explained. "Do you trust me?"

Liara stared at the rover for a moment before she gave them a determined nod. "Just promise me no more relay jumps."

"Deal," Jane laughed as she gave Liara a reassuring squeeze. "Let's get down there."

The four of them quickly entered the Mako, strapping themselves into their seats before Joker's voice came over the comm.  _"Shepard, we're on an approach. Are you guys ready?"_

"Just say when," Shepard replied as she lined the rover up with the ramp.

" _Desert landing, watch out for dunes."_  Joker warned.  _"You're good to go!"_

Liara flinched as the vehicle launched itself out of the larger craft. Taking advantage of the terrain, they made a smooth landing down the side of a steep dune, before the vehicle hurried off towards the signal. A plume of smoke soon came into view as they wove between the largest of the dunes and rocks that covered the rugged surface. The Mako finally came to a stop in front of a small transport ship. The smoke was pouring out from a large hole in the side of the ship's engine. The ground leading out from the open airlock was littered with bodies, half buried in sand by the wind.

"Looks like we missed all of the fun," Garrus complained.

"We still need to work out what happened," Shepard stated as she climbed towards the exit. "Everyone got their suits sealed?" After they all nodded in response, Shepard eased the door open, stepping out into the barren landscape.

Garrus and Liara followed her, while Ash continued to man the Mako's main gun, just in case they were walking into an ambush. The three of them slowly approached the open doorway into the dark interior of the vessel. A large dark silhouette moved into the doorway. Shepard quickly threw a hand up to stop Ash from firing, while Garrus and Liara raised their weapons behind her.

A large hulking form slowly walked out of the craft, clutching a shotgun as it laughed deeply. "Shepard!"

"Wrex?" Shepard shouted in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Pirate hunting," the krogan replied as he lowered his shotgun, "one specific pirate. His family stole something from my family a long time ago."

"So why the ship wreck?" Garrus laughed as he lifted his rifle up to rest on his shoulder. "Doesn't seem like your style... blowing stuff up."

"Never hire a salarian," Wrex grumbled. "He panicked as soon as the first missile hit us. Even turned on his distress beacon..."

"Which meant these friendly fellows are able to march right to your front door to get their heads blown off," Shepard sighed as she kicked a turian's helmet.

"Ye. I planned to surprise Actus, since it's just me. My pilot claimed his ship had stealth technology."

"I'm guessing he was lying?" Jane mused, as she eyed the visible smoking hole in the side of the ship's engine.

"Hang on, Actus!" Garrus repeated in surprise.

"You know him?" Shepard asked.

"No, but there is a General Actus that fought in the krogan rebellions," Garrus explained. "He's still known for having taken the armour of the krogan he defeated as trophies."

"And one of his descendants still has my family's," Wrex growled. "I'm here to take it back, preferably along with this turian's head."

"Well, I think we can give you a hand," Shepard offered, "if you want it of course."

"I'm not going to say no to that offer. The four of us should have them easily outgunned."

"How many of them are you expecting?" Garrus asked looking a little confused.

"Twenty or thirty," Wrex shrugged.

"I think your maths might be off a little there Wrex," Liara said.

"Nah, Shepard's got to be worth at least seven of them, maybe eight. You've got to be at least five," Wrex shrugged at Liara. "Spiky over there's worth... two, possibly three of them."

Garrus's jaw dropped in disbelief, while Shepard sniggered beside him.

"We've also still got Ash in the Mako," Liara offered.

"Then we're laughing," Wrex chuckled as he pushed past them towards the Mako.

"Nothing ever changes," Shepard laughed as she followed Wrex back to the rover.

The four of them climbed back into the rover in silence, until Garrus returned to his seat. "I'm worth at least five!"

Wrex, Shepard and Liara burst out laughing, while Ash looked back at them in confusion, before she rolled her eyes and turned back to her controls. "Still stuck with your strays. How about we get moving?"

* * *

 "So what's the plan?" Garrus asked as the five of them eased up towards the peak of the dune.

"Shoot them," Wrex replied casually.

"And then..."

"Shoot them some more."

"Typical krogan strategy," Shepard sighed. "Garrus, can you see any guards?"

"Just two, human, both armed with assault rifles."

"Which one do you want?" Shepard asked as she pulled her sniper rifle off her back.

"Both!" Garrus answered before quickly placing a shot in the skull of each guard.

"Show off," Shepard muttered as she switched her sniper for her assault rifle. "Come on, let's get going."

Without worrying about cover, they all quickly sprinted down the slope towards a large door that appeared to lead directly down into the sand. The pirate base was built entirely subterranean, apart from a single staircase and entrance. With the planet's location next to a major trade route into the traverse, it offered an idea home base to prey on vulnerable freighters, but needed the extra protection against being discovered.

They each stopped around the sides of the door, looking down at the door leading into the underground facility. "So what's your plan to get in?" Shepard asked Wrex.

The krogan just shrugged at her. "Shoot it?"

"How about I try hacking it first," Garrus offered as he opened up his omni-tool.

"Could work," Wrex grumbled before the doors opened without warning.

"Come on you big, ancient lump," Shepard laughed as she pushed Wrex towards the stairs into the base, "get moving."

The five of them walked down the long staircase, keeping alert while Ash watched to ensure nothing appeared behind them. After walking down what felt like three stories, the stairs finally levelled off into what appeared to be an airlock. Wrex stepped through the doors, before turning to the others expectantly. "You coming or not?"

"Keep your suits sealed," Shepard warned. "They could easily seal us in and pump the chamber full of toxin."

The five of them piled in before sealing the door behind them. A high pitch hiss filled the air as the composition of the room began to change.

"Oxygen and nitrogen, nothing to worry about," Shepard announced sounding relieved.

"I guess it's on an independent system," Garrus shrugged sounding confused. "Seems like lousy security."

"Don't say that... now there's going to be dozens of... ah crap," Shepard groaned, "we're standing in a mixture of oxygen, hydrogen, helium and methane."

"So?" Wrex shrugged.

"Oxygen and methane are explosive."

As if on cue, the doors into the bunker opened as a grenade landed at their feet.

"RUN!" Shepard screamed, throwing an arm around Liara as she pulled them both into the unknown room, throwing the pair of them to the ground. Everyone else followed, landing on either side of them, before Wrex and Liara threw a barrier up around all of them just before the grenade detonated.

Heat rushed past them as flames erupted from the small chamber, scorching everything it touched. Gunfire instantly began flying towards them. Wrex was on the move, almost as soon as the gunfire started, charging straight towards one of their attackers. A loud crash, followed by a sickening crunch, announced the death of one pirate when Wrex toppled a large pile of storage containers, before his shotgun took the head off another one.

Ash and Garrus has recovered as quickly as possible, and were now crouched behind piles of crates, labelled medical supplies, taking every clean shot they got without exposing themselves to the constant barrage of gunfire. Shepard had moved Liara into the shadow of another pile of crates, as the asari coughed to regain her breath.

"Are you going to be okay?" Shepard asked, looking concerned.

"I'll be fine," Liara wheezed, "don't worry. Just do what you do best."

"Worry about you?" Shepard laughed as she pulled out her assault rifle.

"That too," Liara replied with a smile.

Shepard looked out of her cover, firing a burst of fire into the chest of a soldier that turned to fire at the new target. As the body fell to the floor, she scanned the room to check on her team, finding one very distinct member missing. "Where the hell is Wrex?"

"He ran through there," Ash answered, gesturing to a corridor at the far end of the storage room with several bodies lying on the ground around the doorway.

"Why am I not surprised?" Shepard grumbled. "Okay, we need to get after him. Liara, feel up to showing them what a biotic can do?"

Liara pushed herself up off the floor as blue energy began to crawl along her arms. "I think I can help."

Before any of the pirates could react to the appearance of another combatant, waves of biotic energy were flying across the room, slamming into the unevenly stacked crates. A scream and sickening crunch announced one of the taller stacks collapsing, crushing one of the pirate, unprepared. A second managed to dodge the crates he was behind flying back at him, suddenly finding himself standing in the open in front of Shepard and Ash, before quickly being cut down by their combined fire.

Liara ducked back into cover as her shields overloaded, quickly throwing up her own barrier before several shots flew through the air where her head had been moments before. Garrus answered with a single shot, leaving a blue smear on the far wall as a turian slid down into a heap on the floor.

Shepard fired a final burst into the side of an exposed helmet, before starting after Wrex. "Let's find this goddamn krogan." A single shot from behind her made Shepard turn in alarm, before she discovered it had originated from Garrus's rifle.

The Turian gave her a smug grin as a salarian fell to the floor beside her, clutching a pistol in what had been an outstretched arm. "Humans are always in such a hurry," he commented.

"Like you're one to talk," Shepard laughed, "but we need to go find Wrex. I don't want to have to carry him back out of here if he's dead."

"We could just make Liara do it," Ash teased as they all started moving forwards cautiously. Liara let herself laugh lightly when she saw Shepard's eyes search for her at the mention of her name.

The corridor was lined with bodies, each looking like it had been crushed between the base's walls, and an unstoppable krogan. Liara was careful to avoid stepping in any of them as she followed the others, while Shepard, Garrus and Ash casually kicked the bodies aside to keep a sturdy footing. Gunfire echoed towards them, the blasts from two distinctly different shotguns.

"Wrex, what is happening?" Shepard shouted from a safe distance within the corridor.

"This bastard turian won't die. Some really heavy duty shield." The krogan shouted between shotgun blasts.

"Have you tried actually hitting him?" Garrus shouted.

"Very funny you spiky assed pansy. Get a real man's gun." Wrex barked.

"How about we focus on killing that turian?" Ash shouted over another volley of shotgun blasts.

"Then move your ass, and start shooting!" Wrex yelled.

"Okay, Garrus, get that overload of yours ready. Ash, we're going in shooting. We just need that shield down so Wrex can finish him off," Shepard ordered. "Liara, can you put a barrier up around all of us? Just long enough for us all to get into cover."

"I'll do my best," Liara answered as biotic energy lit up around her.

The four of them sprinted out of the corridor with three assault rifles firing, straight behind a pile of crates as Liara's barrier covering them deflected a blast from Actus's shotgun. Wrex took the opportunity to begin circling around, quickly sprinting to the next available cover. Shepard and Ash's assault rifles maintained their barrage, lighting up the turian's shields each time he looked out of cover to take a shot.

"You can't win you know!" Actus shouted before another blast of his shotgun rang through the air.

"I was about to say the same thing to you!" Shepard laughed back.

He ducked back as an overload from Garrus surged through his shield. "No one has ever got through this barrier, give up now!"

"Two weeks ago, we destroyed Saren and his omnipotent warship. I'm sure we can handle one turian pirate!" Yelled Shepard back at him.

"Ah, your alleged fight with Saren Arcturus and his ancient starship. Do you really think people are buying that?" Arctus shouted over a volley from Liara's pistol.

"You don't believe? Look behind you!" Shepard replied, sounding rather smug. She was answered with a scream of surprise, before the large form of Wrex smashed through the pile of crates with his hand clutched around the neck of a struggling turian.

"You really need to learn to watch your back," Wrex chuckled as he tore Actus's shotgun from his talons. "A helmet might have helped too."

"What do you want?" the squirming turian gasped.

"You have something of mine," Wrex growled, "I want it back!"

"Anything!" Actus begged.

"You took something from  _my_  family," Wrex roared as his hand tightened around Tonn's throat, extracting a ragged wheeze. "My family armour, where is it?!"

"In... in my vault, in the next room. It's locked with a palm scanner, you'll need me alive," Tonn insisted.

"I'll take my chances," Wrex growled before his shotgun fired into the turian's torso.

"Wrex! That wasn't necessary!" Shepard shouted as she ran towards him, watching the turian in his grasp drop limply to the floor.

"No, but it felt good," Wrex chuckled as he took a firm grip of the turian's wrist. The krogan placed a foot down on the turian's chest, before giving the arm a sharp tug. Liara let out a squeak of surprise, mixed heavily with disgust, as she quickly turned away from the spectacle. The noise of the turian's shoulder dislocating echoed through the room, followed by a splatter as the arm tore free, sending more blood pouring onto the floor.

"What the hell are you doing, Wrex?" Shepard shouted.

"He said it himself, all we need is his hand. Didn't have a knife handy," Wrex chuckled.

"Or you could have kept him alive, let him live. We could have taken him back to the Alliance," Shepard insisted.

"But now, we don't have to bother," Wrex shrugged as he walked towards the sealed vault on the far side of the room.

"That's hardly the point, Wrex," Shepard groaned.

"He's dead and we got what we came for," Wrex shrugged as he slammed the turian's palm down onto the lock. The lock beeped as it accepted the scan, before the heavy door swung open into a small room, filled with shelves, cabinets and boxes.

"Well, have fun looking for it Wrex, just let me know if you find anything interesting," Shepard sighed before she turned back to the rest of the team. "So what are we going to do about this base?"

"Why do we need to do anything?" Liara asked as she looked between the rest of the group. "All the pirates are gone."

"But, there's nothing to stop someone else from stumbling across this place and starting up their own band of pirates," Garrus explained.

"Shame we don't have any heavy duty explosives back on the Normandy, just grenades." Ash complained.

"Think these pirates keep any around?" Shepard asked.

"There's a mining colony in the next system, right? They could have raided a freighter carrying a shipment of explosives," Liara suggested.

"Which means we could have just had a gun fight in a room full of explosives," Ash stated sounding worried.

"Or, Liara was throwing charges at them," Garrus laughed, as Liara turned a pale shade of grey.

"Or Wrex just shoved a turian through a wall of them," Ash sighed.

"But, they're probably stored somewhere more secure," Shepard interjected. "Wrex, if you see any explosives in there, let us know?"

A crate came flying out, smashing itself across the floor as Wrex threw it over his shoulder. "Will do."

* * *

 The five of them watched as flames poured out of the stairwell in front of them, the ground shaking beneath their feat.

"You might have over done it, Chief," Shepard laughed before another detonation made her jump.

"Don't blame me, they could have a nuke down there for all I know," Ash shrugged.

Garrus clicked his mandibles in approval. "Don't think anyone will be moving in there any time soon."

"So what's for dinner?" Wrex asked as he turned back towards the Mako. "I could eat a whole pack of varren."

"Let's get back to the Citadel," Shepard sighed. "I don't want to know what Krogan will eat when they're hungry."


	24. Alchera

"Commander, that's him. That's Doctor Saleon," Garrus growled as the four of them glared down at the salarian.

"Are you sure?" Shepard asked cautiously without bothering to raise her rifle.

"What? Saleon? My name is Heart, Doctor Heart. Please, get me out of here," the salarian protested.

"Positive," Garrus replied, ignoring the salarian's objections. "There's no escape this time, Doctor. I'd harvest your organs first, but you aren't worth the time."

"You're crazy. He's crazy!" The salarian squealed. "Please, don't let him do this to me."

"What do you think Garrus?" Shepard asked lazily.

"I'd love to take the time to throw him to some of his  _patients_  we encountered back there, see just how much they'd like to show their gratitude," Garrus growled, making the salarian cower, "but then we wouldn't know what he's been up to. How many lives he's ruined. I vote we take him back to C-Sec, let them interrogate him. There's no way he can escape charges with this ship as evidence."

"I think it's safe to say he'll be serving consecutive sentences for this mess," Shepard agreed.

"I am not going to jail!" Saleon insisted before he scrambled across the small room towards an open weapons locker.

Liara barely had time to throw a barrier up in front of them all, before a shotgun blast sent ripples across its surface. The sound hadn't stopped echoing through the ship, before Garrus's assault rifle tore through the skull of the salarian in front of them. "I gave him a chance," the turian sighed.

"All any of us can do," Shepard shrugged before she gave the turian a slap on the back. "Let's go call it in. I'm sure you've wanted to close this case for years."

"Just a bit, never did like that he got away." Garrus agreed as he turned back towards the airlock.

"Have a drink on me the next time we hit the Citadel," Shepard offered.

"Sounds good, we'll have to see if they've opened Flux yet."

* * *

 "So, how's it go?" Joker asked excitedly from the pilot seat as the four of them walked in through the airlock. "Tell me something exciting happened, I've been bored off my ass this last week. So much space and nothing to do," Joker sighed dramatically.

"Just a bunch of unfortunate... patients, and one psychotic doctor," Shepard replied calmly.

"Gee, is that all," Joker laughed. "Admiral Hackett's on the line, he's on hold in the comm room."

"I'll see what he wants," Jane groaned. "I swear he only ever calls because he needs a trade route parolling. I'll meet you guys down in the mess once I know where he's sending us."

"Something with water, if there's an option?" Liara suggested hopefully. "I could kill for an ocean."

"No promises," Jane laughed as she parted from the group. She silently entered the deserted room, disturbed only by a flashing interface to indicate a call waiting. She stepped up to the console with a huff out of boredom before she accepted the call.

"Shepard," Hackett greeted as he straightened up, "thank you for getting back to me so quickly."

"It's not a problem, Sir. We just got back on-board. What did you want to speak to me about, Admiral?"

"We've lost several freighters making trips to a mining colony in the terminus system. Usually it would just be dismissed as pirates, but so far none of the ships that went missing sent out a distress call. We suspect, whoever is attacking them, is disabling or destroying the ships before they can send a signal out. We sent a frigate out there to investigate, but so far it hasn't turned anything up," Hackett explained. "The Normandy's stealth drive is state of the art. Hopefully, whatever is attacking these ships is just going into hiding whenever a military vessel shows up."

"I'm sure we can take a look, Sir. We're not exactly busy out here. Just cruising around the traverse is leaving everyone a little bored after chasing after Saren."

"I can't promise you anything special, Commander. It could just be a few pirates that managed to arm themselves a cruiser," Hackett laughed.

"Where are we heading then, Sir?" Shepard asked.

"It's out in the Omega nebula, around the Armada system," Hackett explained. "Good hunting, Commander."

"Thank you Admiral, I'll send you a report." Shepard finished the conversation with a salute, which the admiral returned before the channel closed. "Joker?" Shepard asked.

 _"Receiving coordinates from Hackett, Commander. I'll let you know when we get there,"_  Joker replied over the comm.

* * *

 "Poker?" Ash asked shuffling the cards. Liara shook her head in response. "Blackjack? Rummy?"

"It had something to do with fish," Liara replied quietly, desperately trying to recall the name of the only game she knew with a human deck of cards.

"Go Fish?" Ash suggested.

"That's it!" Liara exclaimed, making Shepard jump as she stepped up behind Liara's chair.

"Mind if I join you all?"

"Hey Shep," Ash greeted happily as she dealt out four hands. "We just discovered that Liara knows how to play what I assume is Go Fish, and Garrus knows a few games from a stake out last year. Grab a seat." Once everyone had claimed their hand, she dumped the remainder of the deck on the table.

"So how do you know how to play cards Liara?" Garrus asked as he organized his hand.

"On one of digs, while I was still studying with the university, there was a rather rough sandstorm that lasted for a few days. When you're stuck in an enclosed space with a bunch of weird-looking aliens, it's best to find something so you don't alienate yourself from them," Liara laughed, giving Shepard a brief smile. "They decided this would be the easiest game to teach me."

"And now you've the challenge of playing it against Ash, Garrus and me when we're all being competitive." Jane laughed before a thought dawned on her. "Are you going to be okay identifying each card?"

"I've got it covered," Liara replied happily as she opened up a small program on her omni-tool to offer a translation of each of the human numbers and letters on the cards. "How do I say this one?" Liara asked Shepard, pointing to the 'K' on her omni-tool, "we don't have a word for it."

"King," Shepard replied after glancing at the asari's omni-tool. "It's a male ruler, so you wouldn't have a word I guess."

"Why is it higher value than a queen?" she asked, studying the cards.

"It's just a throwback to the old system of monarchies. Most of them have disappeared on Earth these days, but the few that exist value female heirs as highly as male ones," Jane explained.

"You still have monarchies on earth?" Liara exclaimed, looking shocked.

"Are we playing, or not?!" Ash demanded to the amusement of everyone else at the table.

"Relax, Williams, it's not like we're betting," Garrus laughed.

"We should really teach Liara how to play poker some time," Jane suggested.

"Garrus, could you just start your turn, please?" Ash asked, beginning to sound frustrated.

"I feel like we needs some snacks on the table," Shepard suggested, before the soft thud of Ash's head hitting the table stole everyone's attention.

"I'm going to kill all three of you," came the muffled threat from the exasperated human.

* * *

 "You're sure this is one of our missing ships?" Shepard asked Pressly.

"It's definitely new wreckage, it hasn't been buried by snow or ice yet," the Navigator answered. "From its size, I'm guessing it's the Zanzibar. Most of it came down within a couple of square miles, so I'm guessing it was more or less intact when it entered the atmosphere."

"And then burnt apart by the heat of entry," Shepard finished. "Okay, we'll go down and take a look. We've been searching this system for days, and this is the first indication we've seen that anything happened. Have Joker get ready to drop us in the Mako, I'll tell the team to suit up," Jane decided as she started back towards the stairs below deck.

"Understood, Commander." Pressley acknowledged as he walked towards the cockpit.

* * *

 Liara looked up in alarm, quickly grabbing onto the locker in front of her as the ship shook around her. Her heart began to race when the ships lights switched to red for emergency power. She quickly grabbed her helmet and sprinted towards the elevator to the crew deck, leaving Ash and Garrus looking at her confused, before they quickly finished attaching their armour.

The elevator ride had never seemed to take so long before, but at least gave her a chance to find out what was happening. "Joker, what's going on?!"

 _"Kinetic barriers offline, multiple hull breaches, weapons are offline, engine four is gone. Somebody put that fire out!"_ the pilot announced, clearly not paying any attention to the comm.

The car ground to a halt as the ship shuddered again, stopping a metre below the crew deck. She quickly pushed herself up, sliding through the gap onto the empty deck. Without pausing for breath, she leapt up to her feet and sprinted through the mess hall towards Jane's locker. "Shepard!" The small locker sat open and empty of armour, still holding Shepard's weapons. The glint of black armour from the end of the corridor holding the ship's sleeper pods caught her attention, before she sprinted after it. "Shepard!"

"Distress beacon launched," Shepard announced as Liara approached her, presumably into her comm as the commander sealed on her helmet.

"Will the Alliance get here in time?" Liara asked sounding worried.

Shepard passed her an extinguisher before looking back at Liara's shining blue eyes. "They'll be here, we just have to survive."

"Joker's still in the cockpit, he won't evacuate. I'm not leaving either, not without you," Liara stated softly.

"I need you to make sure the crew gets into the escape pods," Shepard said as she gently took the helmet from Liara's left hand. "I'll take care of Joker." She quickly placed the helmet over Liara's head, sealing it onto her hard-suit.

Liara looked up into Shepard's vibrant green eyes, asking an unspoken question.

"I promise you, I'm coming back," Shepard said looking determined as she touched the front of their helmets together, "I still need to get my dog tags back." Jane couldn't help but smile as Liara's eyes stared into her own.

"Promise?" Liara asked quietly.

"I promise you, but you need to go." Shepard ordered before running past Liara towards the mess hall, and onto the CIC.

Without allowing herself a second thought , Liara sprinted back towards the mess hall, and the ship's now exposed escape pods. She stopped just outside of them, quickly directing everyone into pods, ensuring none were carrying more than their six seat capacity. And explosion tore through the nearby wall plating. The limp body of one of the ship's engineers landed on the ground in front of her, the last crew member from the lower two decks.

She threw herself into one of the last empty seats and pulled the restraint down over her head after she had hit the eject button on the back of her escape pod. She flinched when she felt a hand grip her own, firmly clasped around the side of her harness. Liara barely had time to look around and see the familiar pink and white plating of Ash's hard-suit before the thrusters fired. She grunted as the acceleration knocked her back in her seat, forcing the air from her lungs.

It seemed to take an eternity before the pod stopped accelerating. Liara threw the harness off as soon as the safety catch released, and began rummaging through one of the few compartments in the small space.

Ash reached out and placed a hand on Liara's shoulder. "Slow down, what are you doing?"

"I need to contact Shepard," She stated without looking away from the compartment, seemingly filled with nothing but rations and medical supplies.

"We don't have a radio, just emergency supplies. There is an emergency locator beacon built into the pod," Ash explained.

"Then how can I contact Shepard?" Liara asked.

"I doubt your omni-tool is working, so... you can't. Right now, I'd be a little more worried about whatever attacked us finding the pods," Ash said, before sighing when Liara went back to rummaging through the compartment. "I'm sure she's fine, I saw her on her way towards the CIC, she was wearing her hard-suit. Even if she was thrown into space, she'll be fine for up to nine or ten hours," Ash insisted. "Sit back down, and try to relax."

Reluctantly, Liara replaced the packet of beef stew she was holding and climbed back into her seat. "So, what do we do now?"

"We wait," Ash sighed as she opened up her omni-tool, "and hope we have a few games on our omni-tools that don't need an extranet connection."

The four of them sat, waiting in the small pod for what seemed like an eternity. Ash and the two members of the Normandy's engineering crew had several conversations, which Ash made the effort to try and include Liara in, but the asari didn't seem interested. All Liara could think about was Shepard, worrying if she would be okay. After sharing a late night meal, the crew decided to try and get some sleep. Liara slumped against the rear of the pod as she played a human game called Solitaire on Ash's omni-tool, although she was barely looking at the display as he hand moved the cards around.

After several hours sat in the dark, and five or six games lost in a row, Liara finally settled back against her seat to try and get some sleep. Her head had barely touched the headrest before the entire pod shook. She looked around in a panic at Ash and the other humans as they were brutally awoken.

"That's got to be a recover arm," Ash said, praying she was right. A few moments later, they felt the increase in gravity as the pod passed into the mass effect field of a much larger vessel. "Definitely a recovery arm."

It took several moments before the pod came to a halt and the doors slid open. A human crew member peered into their pod, before looking back towards someone outside of the ship. "Four here, Captain, including the asari."

"Good, that just leaves one pod to go," a familiar voice replied as Liara climbed out of the small doorway.

"Captain Anderson, it's good to see you again," Liara exclaimed as she spotted the Captain directing the recovery effort.

"If you don't mind me saying so, Sir, this seems like an odd task for a captain," Ash said as she followed Liara out of the pod.

"I requested it, Chief, as soon as I heard about the Normandy. She was my ship originally, I picked the crew. I owe it to them to make sure they're safe," Anderson explained. "Fortunately, this carrier didn't have a Captain, she's on route from earth. The first officer was willing to give up command to the man running for the Council."

"Is Shepard onboard yet?" Liara asked, half eager, half panicked, as she looked around the hanger.

"Not yet, we've still got the cockpit's escape pod to recover, it's on a lower orbit," the Admiral replied.

"We're approaching the target," one of the crew announced.

"You know the drill, get a lock and bring it onboard," Anderson ordered.

Liara stood and watched as the final escape pod came into view, fidgeting constantly as her nerves began to get the better of her.  _What if she isn't onboard. Could Shepard still be alive? How long since the attack?_

The pod's doors slid open like hers had, showing Joker trying to climb forwards through the small hatch, already nursing what appeared to be a broken arm. "Little help?" he asked the crewman just outside the pod.

"Just the one, Captain," the crewman announced.

"No, there's got to be two. Shepard  _has_  to be in there!" Liara shouted, running towards the pod before Ash could stop her.

Joker kept his eyes fixed on the ground as he regained his footing on solid ground, refusing to look up at Liara.

"Where is she, Joker? What happened?!" Liara shouted at the pilot.

He held back a sob, giving Liara a simple shake of the head, unable to look up at her. The pilot was a mess. He clearly looked exhausted, and judging from the bloodshot state of his eyes, he had cried almost constantly since he'd gotten off the ship.

"What happened?!" Liara demanded as she reached the pilot. When he didn't reply she roughly grabbed the pilot's shirt. "Where is she?!"

The crewman attempted to force himself between Liara and the pilot to prevent her from causing the man any additional injuries. Unwilling to be hindered, Liara send a wave of biotic energy at the crewman, sending him flying off to the side before skidding across the flight deck.

"I-I don't know," the pilot stammered, looking up at her with fear for the first time since he met her.

"Liara, there's nothing we can do," Ash said calmly as she placed a reassuring hand on Liara's shoulder. "She's gone. I'm sorry."

"We can't give up on her. She has to be out there somewhere," Liara insisted as tears began to pour down her cheeks. "She would never leave us!"

Ash forcefully pulled the asari off the human. "You need to calm down," Ash insisted, eyeing the medic approaching.

"We need to save her. Why aren't you doing anything!" Liara screamed. Biotic energy began to crawl along her arms, towards the marine, before she felt a pinch in the back of her neck. Slowly, sleep forced itself on her until she collapsed against the cold plates of Ash's armour.


	25. Who is Lazarus

The light burned her eyes, despite them being closed. Muffled voices came from somewhere around her.

"Something's wrong."

"She's reacting to outside stimuli, showing an awareness of her surroundings."

She gasped as she forced her eyes open, her breath echoing in her ears.  _Why is it so hard to breathe?_  Her chest burned with pain on each breath.

"Oh my God, Miranda, I think she's waking up."

She lifted her head as the fuzzy outline of a dark haired woman hovered over her. A pale, bald man soon appeared from the opposite side. When she turned her head, her neck screaming in agony with every small movement.

_Where am I?_

"Damn it, Wilson, she's not ready yet! Give her the sedative."

She forced her hands up, despite every muscle in her arms screaming in protest. The female blur moved to restrain her.

"Shepard - don't try to move. Just lie still, try to stay calm."

_What's happening?_

"Heart rate is still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts. She's pushing into the red zone - it's not working!"

"Another dose. Now!"

"Heart rate dropping, stats falling back into the normal range. That was too close, we almost lost her."

Her vision slowly began to fade, blocking out the overpowering light, as she slowly slipped back towards unconsciousness.  _But..._

"I told you your estimates were off. Run the numbers again."

Black filled her vision, until finally, the world disappeared.

* * *

Something shook her, easing her out of her sleep.

" _Shepard, can you hear me? Get up now! This facility is under attack."_

Shepard's body screamed back at her in protest as she sat up on the bed.  _What's happening?_

" _Your scars aren't healed yet, but I need you to get moving."_  A female voice shouted through a PA system.

Gunfire and explosions were visible though a large window in the side of the room on the wall opposite the only door.

"Where am I? What happened?" Shepard asked, struggling to speak.

" _There's a dead guard in the security checkpoint just outside the lab, you can take his gun and armour. Hurry!"_

_Definitely human, Australian accent._  Shepard thought to herself as she slipped out from beneath the thin paper sheet covering her. Her bare feet met a cold metal floor, while a draft through the room from an air recycler made her incredibly aware of her nudity.  _Waking up naked in a strange lab with no idea how I got here... this can't be good._

" _Hurry up, you need to get moving. Now!"_  The voiced ordered again.

She slipped off the bed, putting her weight onto her legs. Pain surged through them before she collapsed onto all fours with a scream. Realizing her hair hadn't moved, she raised her hands up, running them over her head to find it closely shaven.  _Did I get caught in a fire?_

_I know it hurts, but you need to move. Gunfights are happening throughout the station, and a dozen security mechs are converging on your location."_

"Alright, I'm moving," Jane managed through gritted teeth as she pushed herself back onto her feet, starting to walk on unstable legs towards the door. She grabbed a bandage roll out of a drawer, tearing of the packaging to secure her chest as she walked through, into the security post.  _What kind of medical facility has armed guards?_  Moving quickly and efficiently, Jane finished with the bandage. Satisfied it was secure, she stripped the guard of his hard-suit and sidearm.

She moved to start putting on when she finally noticed the glowing, angry, red scars along her arms. Alarmed, and scared, she quickly began checking the rest of her body, finding them scattered across the rest of her body she could see, mostly located in the rough location of her bones.

" _Shepard, I know it's alarming," the Australian woman said over the comm, making her jump. "I promise, I will explain everything when we get you to safety."_

"Do you have to watch me the whole time through the cameras," Jane shouted at the nearest one in the corner. When no reply came, she muttered "guess you can't hear me after all," under her breath.

Once dressed, Shepard felt far more comfortable in a white and gold hard-suit, minus the helmet with a single bullet hole in the back. She finally powered the suit's systems back up, sighing in relied when the first aid system administered a dose of medi-gel for what it recognised as wounds, taking the edge off the constant pain they were causing her. Unsurprisingly, the thermal clip in the gun was empty when she checked, since the guard couldn't have seen his attacker.

" _Someone's hacking security, trying to kill you. They have complete control of all of the station's security mechs, one is half way up the staircase in the next room. Be careful."_

"I'll just have to shoot it then," she said to herself as she stepped through the next doorway. She spotted motion off to the right and quickly dived behind an overturned table in the middle of the room.

A burst of gunfire over the top of the table caught her attention. She looked out from cover, spotting the pistol in the mech's hand.  _Since when have they made SMG's that size?_  Using the guard's pistol, she fired two shots into the mech's head, easily disabling it.

"Head up the stairs and follow the corridor around into Lab C. It looks like it's full of incubators," the voice directed.

"You know, you haven't even been kind enough to tell me your name," Shepard moaned as she climbed the stairs, before she spotted a sign saying 'Lab C'.

True to the description, the room was lined with what appeared to be incubators, although each said 'stasis unit' on the side.

" _There's five mechs trying to force their way through the doors on the far side of the room."_

Shepard looked over at both doors, sparks clearly flying from each door as they were being cut through.  _Not sure I needed the heads up on this one, thanks._  She quickly took cover behind one of the machines filling the middle of the room and waited for the doors to open. As soon as the cutter passed the lock, the door shot open, revealing a crowd of mechs moving into the room. A quick burst of fire from her pistol dropped two of the mechs, leaving only one standing, firing back at her. The other door opened, adding two more on the opposite side of the room.  _Why does a medical facility need such heavy security?_

The three drones quickly fell into a pattern of fire, so that Shepard was constantly under fire from one of the mechs, forcing her to stay in cover while they advanced. Deciding she needed to act, she reached out from the opposite side of her cover to fire a burst of shots at the three mechs. The first grazed the head of one, while the firing drone shifted its target towards he head, forcing her head back into cover as her shield flared.  _What wouldn't I give for a grenade right now?_

As soon as her shield had recharged, she fired another burst at the mechs, hitting one in the chest, and another in the arm, before she was forced back again. She ejected her now full thermal clip, and realized she didn't have any spares, just when she heard an explosion from the other side of the machine. Once she realized that the only gunfire she could hear was in the distance, she looked out to find that the mech she had hit in the torso had been blown apart, with little more than scorched metal and plastic remaining. The two others had been disabled by shrapnel. One was still struggling to reach for its pistol with only one working limb, while the other was slumped limply over a table.

"Who designed these pieces of crap?" She muttered, quickly grabbing any spare thermal clips off the mechs and hurried out of the lab.

The doorway led into a corridor covered in unpowered doors, and thick glass windows holding back flames and several larger mechs. Shepard finally emerged onto a balcony, overlooking what looked like a canteen.

" _Shepard, there's a heavy weapons locker to your left, it should be open. Half a dozen mechs are in an elevator car heading towards you. They will arrive at the door on the far side of the room."_

"Why the fuck do you people have heavy weapons in a canteen?" Jane asked, feeling utterly confused as she grabbed what looked like a grenade launcher. "Not to mention the mechs armed with machine guns and rocket launchers," she grunted as she lifted the launcher onto her shoulder and aimed it towards the doorway.

Shepard only waited long enough to check her targets for the red lights on their heads before she fired. The drones exploded in a compact fireball, sending fragments into every available surface.

" _You need to take the elevator up four levels and-"_  The signal was cut off by static before the system fell silent.

_Great, unknown location, and I'm on my own,_  Jane complained as she ran into the elevator. Fortunately, the controls and car still worked as it began a rapid ascent, although there was a gentle whistle from several holes where shrapnel had punctured the metal.

The doors slid open onto a walkway through the core of the station. Gunfire from a neighbouring walkway fired across the bridge along the station. Shepard quickly ran out towards the edge of the walled section from the walkway, towards where it opened up into what appeared to be a viewing area. A single man was pinned against the hand rail to her left, dodging fire from three mechs, while trying to take them out with the occasional shot from a pistol.

Shepard fired a volley off, knocking one of the mechs down with her first shot, and leaving a second with only one arm. The two then got pulled over the edge of the banister on their side when a wave of biotic energy from the human pulled them forwards, sending them down into the station's depths. Jane quickly ran to the rail, sliding into place beside the other human.

"Shepard! What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress." The man exclaimed as Jane came to a rest next to him.

"You tell me, I just woke up," Shepard explained as another squad of mechs moved out onto the opposite walkway.

"Sorry, forgot this all has to be new to you," the man sighed. "I'm Jacob Taylor, nice to actually meet you, Commander. Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda woke you up."

"Miranda, the woman with the Australian accent?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. She was with you?"

"No, she was helping me over the comm, but we lost contact," Shepard explained. "For now though, would you mind filling in some blanks for me, I'm tired of running around with no idea what's happening."

"Fair enough, but we should get you to the escape shuttles," Jacob urged as he emptied his thermal clip into a mech.

"Answers, now!" Shepard insisted as she caused another mech to explode into a shower of scrap.

"I can understand that, but can you shoot and listen?" Jacob said as he dodged a volley of gunfire that was dangerously close to his dead. "Two years ago your ship was attacked and destroyed. You were killed, dead as dead can be when they brought you in here. Our scientists spent the last two years putting you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that entire time. Welcome back to the world, Shepard."

"Wait... two years? I've been  _dead_  for two years?" Shepard asked, stunned.  _How could I possibly have been dead!_  "How is that possible?"

"I'm not one of this station's scientists," Jacob answered as Shepard destroyed the last mech. "You'd be better off asking Miranda if you want answers. All I can tell you is that it was cutting edge technology, we had some serious funding."

"Okay, but what happened to my crew during the attack?"

"They survived, most of them. A few crew members and your ExO didn't make it, but your team, all the alien crew members, got off just fine," he explained as he holstered his pistol, relieved to be able to stand up again.

"That should do me for now. Let's go find those shuttles," Shepard stated as she started along the walk way. "So how bad were my injuries?"

"I'm no doctor, but I don't think injuries is the right word. When I first saw you, you were nothing but meat and tubes," Jacob replied casually. "That was the whole point of project Lazarus, to bring you back."

"Okay, so what's the quickest way to those shuttles?"

"That depends where the mechs are the thickest."

" _Check, check. Is anyone on this frequency? Anybody still alive out there?"_  a hushed voice asked over Jacob's omni-tool.

"Wilson, is that you? This is Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard. We're in the station's core, level twenty-three. Where are you?" he replied over his comm.

" _Shepard's alive? How the hell... never mind. I'm one floor above you in the network control room. You guys need to get up here,"_  the hushed voice said, beginning to sound panicked.

"Okay, we'll be right up there. Just hang tight," Jacob insisted as he started sprinting towards an open doorway. "Come on, Shepard."

" _The service tunnels are you safest option,"_  Wilson shouted before a gunshot echoed through the comm, followed by the link going dead.

"I think I remember a Wilson one time when I work up," Shepard panted as she followed Jacob.

"Yeah, that's him. Chief medical tech, answers directly to Miranda," he answered as he punched a code into a door lock. The hatch slid open to reveal to some of the stations piping in a crawl way, dimly lit by overhead lights. "Ladies first?"

"You'd better get moving then," Shepard stated without moving a muscle.

"Have it your way," Jacob shrugged as he led the way into the tunnel.

"I'm surprised you've got maintenance access," Jane commented as she carefully eased herself over a pipe surrounded by a cloud of vapour.

"Chief of security. Apart from Miranda, I've got the most extensive access on the station. It even gets me into your room, and you were at the top of list of secure location."

"Nice to feel important," Shepard laughed as Jacob disappeared round a corner. "At least I didn't have too many people staring at me constantly while I was out."

"I wouldn't worry, you only started to look human for the last five or six months," Jacob shouted back at her, "before that, you looked like some sort of extreme burns victim."

"How very reassuring."

The two of them continued until the tunnel opened up in a junction. Jacob crawled out first until the sound of gunfire echoed through the tunnel along with a shout of pain and surprise from Jacob. Shepard hastened her pace, crawling out behind one of the station's main power lines. She quickly threw a medi-gel pack from the guard uniform at the other human and pulled her pistol out towards the source of the gunfire.

"I thought he said these tunnels were safe?" Jane complained as she fired off her first volley.

"I didn't even think the mechs could get into the service areas without direction," Jacob replied as he nursed an injury to his arm.

"You going to be okay?" Jane asked sounding concerned as she took down one of the drones.

"Barely a scratch, I'll get it looked at once we're out of here. For now, just point me at the mechs," Jacob stated before taking a shot over the cable into the head of one of the mechs.

"Who produces these things anyway?"

"Hahne-Kedar, they mostly supply them for basic security to colonies."

"You'd think they could afford to add some more armour," Shepard complained as she blew the last mech apart with a shot to the chest.

"Come on, we need to move," Jacob insisted as he pushed himself up towards a ladder. "They're just made for crowd control, the YMIR series carries more serious firepower, and has a lot heavier armour."

"I think I saw a few of them before I found you," Shepard lamented, thinking of the people she'd seen getting ripped in half by machine guns and missiles. "Why do you guys seem to have such heavy security?"

"Well, in case something like this happens. You got killed once, someone obviously wants you dead," Jacob shrugged as they came to a hatch in the wall. "Here's the server room."

The two of them crawled through the small hatch, finding a room filled with computer servers, finding Wilson clutching his foot against one of the servers.

"I thought you said the tunnels were safe, we ran into a squad of mechs," Jacob complained as he dusted himself off.

"This whole station is crawling with mechs, what are you blaming me for?" Wilson replied defensively.

"I recognize you, you were there the first time I woke up," Shepard commented casually.

"Ye, what of it?" Wilson snapped back. "How about we talk about it once we fix my foot."

"You can take care of it yourself," Shepard said coldly as she threw another pack of medi-gel at the injured man.

"Thanks, never thought you'd save my life. Guess that makes us even." Wilson said sounding relieved.

"It's just a foot, don't get over-excited," Jane groaned.

"I thought maybe I could shut down the security mechs, but whoever did this fried the whole system. Completely irreversible," Wilson explained.

"Why do you even have security mech access, you're a medical technician," Jacob asked sounding confused.

"Weren't you listening? I came here to try and stop this," Wilson snapped again. "Besides I was shot."

"In the foot!" Shepard amended. "Look, I don't trust any of you yet."

"Shepard, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" Jacob ventured.

"Can't hurt," Jane shrugged.

"The Lazarus project, the program that rebuilt you, it's funded and managed by Cerberus," Jacob explained until he found himself staring at a gun barrel.

"I guess I was wrong, it did hurt," Shepard said forcefully through gritted teeth. "Hand over your pistols."

"This is ridiculous, we need to get off this station," Wilson protested as he moved towards the room's exit.

"Don't make me shoot you, Wilson. You complained enough at being shot in the foot."

"Fine," Wilson groaned before throwing his gun at Shepard's feet.

Shepard picked the weapon up after taking Jacob's offered gun from his out stretched hand.

"After you then, Shepard," Wilson offered as he gestured towards the door.

"I don't think so," Shepard stated as she aimed Jacob's gun at him. "After you."

"Just great," Wilson muttered.

"We should try and find Miranda," Jacob suggested.

"Forget about her, she was in D-Wing. The mechs were all over that sector, no way she survived," Wilson blurted.

"A few mechs won't take her down," Jacob protested. "She's alive, I'm sure of it."

"Well, then she's a traitor."

"You're alive, should I assume you're a traitor?" Shepard accused. "Besides, she made sure I survived."

"Fine, so she's not a traitor, but we need to save ourselves." Wilson complained. "The corridor to the right leads directly to the shuttle bay."

"Fine, let's go, but you two are staying in front," Shepard insisted with a pistol aimed at each of them.

Wilson reluctantly led the way, closely followed by Jacob who at least seemed remotely confident without his gun. True to Wilson's word though, the corridor did go straight to the station's hanger, which was covered in mechs and several dead members of the station's crew.

"You stay here, and wait for me!" Shepard hissed at her two captives as she gave them a threatening glare. Once the two of them nodded she pulled the spare pistol off her hip. "Jacob, keep this, and keep it away from him," she ordered gesturing towards Wilson.

Ignoring the disgusted look on Wilson's face, she quickly ran off towards the nearest mech. Firing as she ran, sparks flew from the chassis as each shot impacted on the inadequate armour. Already firing on the second, she dropped behind a cargo container as the other mechs became aware of the disturbance. Taking advantage of both pistols, and the swarm tactics of the mechs, she kept firing, stopping only to reload when both weapons overheated, and quickly destroying the robotic units. Determined to clear out the hanger, she began to advance, following them onto a cargo conveyer built into the hanger's upper walkway. She finally ran out of ammunition as the last mech in sight sent out a shower of sparks from its neck, before collapsing backwards to the deck.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned back towards the walkway, and the two Cerberus members. Before she got halfway, Wilson came into sight at the far end, trying to use a locked door. Without giving a second thought, she holstered one pistol and sprinted towards the suspicious man.

"Come on, the shuttle's just though here," Wilson shouted, waving her over as she neared him and Jacob. The door shot open as he finished hacking the lock, leaving him staring, shocked at the figure standing on the other side. "Miranda! But you're..."

"Dead?" the woman asked in a cold, calculated voice. She raised the pistol up to the man's forehead with a steady hand before putting a round into the man's skull.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob shouted as he looked down at the body in surprise.

"My job, Wilson betrayed us all," Miranda replied in calculated tone. "He even tried to kill Shepard... twice."

"So that's why I woke up before," Shepard said thoughtfully as she lowered her pistol. "I had a feeling he was just looking for a chance to shoot me in the back. You didn't have to kill him though, now we don't know why he did it."

"Hmm, good instincts," Miranda commented, her voice actually sounding like she approved. "Some people are far too trusting, but we already know why he did it. The same reason you were killed before." Miranda turned around and started walking towards the only shuttle in the small bay. "Come on, let's get out of here. My boss wants to speak to you."

"I'm not heading anywhere with Cerberus," Shepard stated.  _I'd rather shoot the lot of you._

"Ah, Jacob. I should have known you'd let your conscience get the better of you. Still, at least you managed to get her here," Miranda drawled.

"Lying to the Commander isn't the way to get her to join our cause," Jacob stated in his own defence.

"I see, well since we're getting everything out in the open, is there anything else you want to know, Commander?" Miranda asked.

"Why me? What could be so important about me that you need to bring me back from the dead?"

"Perhaps you should ask the Illusive Man that when you meet him. He poured practically unlimited resources into this project," Miranda replied, back to her cold even tone, "clearly he has a plan for you."

"I told you before, I've got no interest in dealing with Cerberus," Jane stated.

"Have it your way, but this is the only working shuttle left, and it can only fly to one destination. Manual controls are disabled I'm afraid. See you on board," Miranda said smugly before walking up to the shuttle's hatch. "Oh, and the station is set to self-destruct," she added as an afterthought.

* * *

The shuttle cruised away from the station with its three occupants as flames began to pour from the station. The airlocks and weak joints in the structure burst as explosions ripped through the structure, leaving it as burnt wreck when the shuttle jumped away.

"Can't say I'm going to miss that place. I've already had enough of it to last a lifetime," Shepard groaned as she adjusted in her seat.

"Or two in your case," Miranda amended from the opposite side of the passenger area. "Now, before you meet the Illusive Man, we need to ask you a few questions."

"I woke up naked on a weird ass operating table, and I'm the one that needs to answer your questions?!" Shepard snapped.

"We can answer anything you want to know, Commander," Miranda offered politely, "but protocol does say we need to get these answers before I submit you as... the er... finished product."

"Go ahead, but for the record, I am not a slave, or anyone's property. Anyone that tries to make me such is going to find themselves with a broken neck," Shepard stated as she glared at Miranda.

"Is it really necessary under the circumstances, Miranda? Shepard took down those mechs like they were wet tissue paper," Jacob offered.

"It's been two years, Jacob. The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's memories and personality are still intact. Ask the questions!" Miranda ordered.

"I'm struggling to get my head around this, I was  _dead_ , for  _two years_?" Jane asked out of disbelief.

"You were dead for a couple of months. One of our first and hardest tasks was getting you into a relatively stable coma," Miranda replied coldly. "Now will you please ask the questions, Jacob?"

"Fine," Jacob muttered as he turned back to Shepard. "What is your full name?" he asked half-heartedly as he opened a file on his omni-tool.

"Jane Hannah Shepard," She yawned in response.

"Date and place of birth?"

"April the eleventh, twenty-one fifty-four. Earth orbit, on board the SSV Mercy," Shepard answered dryly again.

"You really were a true spacer kid," Jacob commented.

"Let's try some life events, what led to your induction into the Alliance N-Seven program?" Miranda asked.

"Killing a fuck load of batarians on Elysium to save a bunker full of civilians, I was twenty-two at the time. The then Commander Anderson put in a recommendation, along with a submission for my entry," Shepard explained.

"Very good," Miranda praised in an unintentional patronizing tone. "Let's try something more recent. When you were chasing Saren Arcturus, on Virmire you had to-"

"Virmire is off limits! Am I clear?" Shepard ground through gritted teeth.

"Absolutely, Commander," Jacob quickly answered. "And, for the record, everyone in Cerberus knows you only did what you had to do."

Miranda gave Jacob a begrudged glance before she looked back to Shepard. "Very well, after you killed Saren, and stopped Sovereign and the Geth, the Council offered humanity a seat on the council. Who did you recommend for the position?"

"Captain Anderson, there was never any question on the matter."

"Yes, Captain Anderson is now Councillor Anderson, but from what I hear he preferred life in the military," Miranda commented. "We really should run some more tests."

"Come on Miranda, this  _is_  Shepard, and I can vouch for her combat skills personally," Jacob appealed.

"Fine, no more questions," Miranda conceded, "but I want to run a full physical when we get to the station. I want to make sure that the unexpected circumstances of your awakening haven't had any detrimental effects on your body. We weren't planning on waking you for another couple of weeks."

"What did you actually do to bring me back to life?" Jane asked.

"There's a detailed log of my work stored at the station we're going to. It's up to date apart from the last couple of days," Miranda offered." But if you're concerned, you are still you."

"So, I'm not some sort of clone or robot, or some sort of cyborg?" Shepard asked looking worried.

"You're entirely the original you, apart from a cloned lung. These is a significant number of implants now within your body, but they aren't controlling you, and nothing has any way of affecting your brain. I can explain this to you far better during your physical," Miranda offered. "Can you remember dying? The attack? Any of it?"

Shepard paused to think, trying her best to recall events, only able to draw up a blank. "I... can't remember anything about it. The last thing I remember is getting into bed with-one night, and... then waking up in agony in that lab of yours."

"Yes... I now suspect that little... accident of Wilson's, was more of an attempt to kill you. Fortunately, I spent a lot of time double checking his work after that, probably what forced him to create the attack," Miranda theorised.

"Yeah... but why don't I remember how I died?" Jane asked sounding slightly withdrawn. "Why don't I remember what killed me?"

"You were dead for two years, and your body went through a lot of trauma after your death. You... suffocated. Our best guess was a damaged O two pipe in your suit. It's not surprising you can't remember what happened given the damage to your brain, just try not to let it bother you." Miranda actually sounded reassuring for the first time since Shepard had met her. "It's not something to worry about. You might even recall what happened in time."

"How incredibly comforting," Shepard muttered as she attempted to settle herself down. "How long is this flight anyway? And any chance of an omni-tool?"

"About an hour, and it's probably best if we keep you off the extranet," Miranda stated. "We're trying to avoid the rumours of you being alive and working with Cerberus."

"Not the worst idea I've heard all day," Shepard sighed.


	26. The Illusive Man

"So what did happen to my crew?" Shepard asked as she reluctantly stripped out of the 'borrowed' hard-suit.

"The SSV Aristotle picked up the survivors about twelve hours after they abandoned ship. Anderson had taken personal command of the vessel to rescue his old crew. I heard it ruffled more than a few of Ambassador Udina's feathers," Miranda answered from outside of the screen.

"You should have seen his face when I recommended the Captain for the Councillor position rather than him," Jane snorted with laughter. "I take it my crew's all still alive and well then? Liara?"

"I'm afraid I don't have information on any of them," Miranda admitted. "I thought I heard something about you and the asari though. I believe she went into the information business, but you'd need to ask the Illusive Man for details."

"Does the whole galaxy know about us?" Shepard groaned.

"I did a lot of digging into your background while I was rebuilding you. We needed to ensure than when we brought you back, you were actually you," Miranda explained, growing increasingly impatient. "Are you ready yet?"

"Just about, are you still not used to me actually being alive yet?" Shepard laughed as she stepped out from behind the screen in a basic hospital gown. "How much hardware have you actually put in me?"

"I'll run you through everything you need to know once I know it, and you, are still working properly. Can you just lie down on the bed... please?" Miranda requested.

"Fine," Jane sighed as she placed herself on the bed attached to a large scanner. With an occupant now in the bed, a ring of sensors began making passes over the full length of Shepard's body. “Am I in working order?"

"Nothing looks drastically wrong. Have you felt a lot of pain since you woke up?"

"Well, my legs refused to work initially, but I haven't had a problem since. My skin feels like it's scorching hot all the time though."

"The muscle cramps are hardly surprising, although we did stimulate your muscles while you were asleep, figured you weren't a lot of use without your physical condition, and we don't have the time to let you train for months on end."

"Look, fine, whatever, thanks," Shepard said as she grew increasingly annoyed. "Could you please just tell me what you've done to me?"

"Marines aren't big on patience, huh?" Miranda rolled her eyes as she slid off her stool. "There's a couple of mirrors in the corner so you can actually get a decent look. You... might want to brace yourself for it."

Shepard followed Miranda across the small med bay towards a curtained off section on the far side. She slipped behind it, finding six mirrors arranged in a circle around her. She was about to drop the gown when Miranda slipped through the curtain behind her. "Do you mind?"

"Do you want me to talk you through it or not?" Miranda snapped crossing her arms.

"Great bedside manner," Jane drawled sarcastically.

"I'll go if you insist," Miranda continued in her sharp tone.

"No, I'm sure you've poked and prodded every inch of me already."

"Something like that, unless you'd rather I'd left you dead?"

"Let's just get this over and done with." Jane shut her eyes as she slipped the gown off, letting it fall to the floor. She took a deep breath before cautiously opening her eyes.

"So where do you want to start?" Miranda inquired, sounding a little more cautious, aware of the mess Shepard's body still appeared to be.

"Let's start with the face and work our way down," Shepard suggested as she stared at her own eyes in the mirror in front of her. "What's with the glowing eye socket?"

"Both eyes have had a few minor improvements. You should find you can see better in the dark. You should also be able to look at bright lights without suffering any permanent damage, stars for example."

"Great... should level the playing field since I glow in the dark now," Jane grumbled. "What about the jaw?"

"Boring really, it's not even worth mentioning," Miranda shrugged. "Heart and lungs are a lot more interesting."

Shepard flinched at the visible glow of her heart through her own chest and ribcage, the red light from her implants around it pulsing with each heartbeat. "Just what I want to hear, I'm interesting to someone that has actually dissected me."

Miranda scowled back at her. "You don't want to make this easy, do you?"

"What do you think?" Shepard shouted back. "You came along, dug me out of the ground, and decided to play God!"

"Fine, I'll speed things up. Your heart should be able to manage around two-hundred and fifty beats per minute for extended periods, and you lungs have been adjusted to supply enough oxygen, so you should have better muscle endurance. The back is where it really gets interesting though."

Shepard couldn't stop herself from gasping when she tilted her head to find her back in one of the mirrors. Her spine was lit up with light penetrating the skin from the base of the skull down to her tailbone.

"Most of that is there to make sure you don't end up experiencing random nerve impulses, since the spinal cord is in less than ideal condition. Now, this large patch of red up here," Miranda observed before she pressed a finger against the back of Shepard's neck and made her jump at the cold, unexpected touch. "This is your new prototype bio-amp and biotic implants."

"But I'm not a biotic?" Shepard questioned.

"You  _weren't_  a biotic," Miranda amended. "That was probably the easiest surgery we had to perform."

"But... you can't just make people into biotics!" Shepard said looking shocked.

"It turns out the procedure has been around for over a millennium, you just don't know it. The krogan you were working with against Saren went through the same operation," Miranda shrugged casually.

"It isn't possible. If they could intentionally give people biotic abilities, the militaries would be full of soldiers with biotics," Shepard stated out of denial. "You can't have done this!"

"I assure you, we did. The procedure is remarkably simple. The only thing stopping it from being used widely is that it results in the death of the patient because of the damage to the nervous system," Miranda explained, trying to keep the marine from growing increasingly angry. "The only species that can survive it is the krogan."

"So you just figured, since I was already dead, why not?! What else could possibly go wrong?!" Jane shouted as she snapped around to face Miranda. Shepard glared at the paler human for a moment before taking a deep breath and relaxing her stance slightly. Cautiously, she turned back to facing the mirrors. "Is there anything else left on this list of Frankenstein's wonders?" she growled.

"There's a few hundred-thousand nanites throughout various systems in your body, making sure nothing stops working. They're tasked with maintaining your organic and synthetic parts, as well as updating your implants, should the need emerge. ”Miranda finished, forcing herself to try and regain her usual confidence.

"Great, an army of work drones to fix my every grazed knee," Jane laughed sarcastically, half attempting to impersonate a child.

"You know, after bringing you back and rebuilding you, the least you could do would be to say thank you," Miranda scolded as she crossed her arms.

"Well thank you," Shepard droned in a flat voice, "but I didn't ask for this. I wasn't even consulted. Now I wake up and find you've been doing God fucking knows what to me in my sleep."

"That would have been a little difficult to ask, you were the  _late_  Commander Shepard at the time."

"Well perhaps you should have left me that way!" Jane shouted angrily, unable to keep her hands from forming fists.

"I'll go see if your asari girlfriend still has a burial plot for you," Miranda announced before one of Shepard's fists collided with her jaw. She stumbled backwards against a mirror, while the naked and pissed off form of Shepard advanced towards her.

"You don't get to talk about Liara!" Shepard spat before grabbing her gown and walking out of the curtain. "And tell me you at least got me a change of clothes."

"There's a standard uniform on the table," Miranda replied quietly as she nursed her jaw, emerging from the curtain behind Shepard. "Don't think you broke anything."

"Shame," Shepard muttered to herself before disappearing behind a curtain to change. "Anything else I should be aware of?" she asked after several moments of silence.

Miranda looked up from the instant cold pack she'd fished out of one of the med bay's draws. "I don't get an apology first?"

"Were you planning on giving me one?" Shepard asked.

Miranda snapped a rod in the middle of the bag. "Fair enough," she conceded. "The nanites were tasked with repairing the damage to your spine when I was forced to wake you up. The last estimate on them finishing was in a week, but now you're up and about, we could be talking a month of more. From what the scan showed, that's probably why your skin feels hot."

"So... what about all of these... scars, wounds, what do I even call them?" Shepard asked as she stepped out from behind the curtain in a slightly creased Cerberus uniform. She gave a small smile when she saw Miranda with an ice pack at her jaw.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Everything else has healed so far, but we're in completely uncharted territory," Miranda admitted. "Is there anything else you would like me to cover?"

"Yes! Was this really necessary?!" Jane demanded as she pointed to her shaven head.

"You've only actually been able to grow hair for the past two months. Before that you didn't have enough intact skin, let alone hair follicles. After that, we removed it to prevent anything growing in it. The last thing we wanted was an infection," Miranda explained. "So, if that's everything, I'll see if I can find some accommodation for you."

"I thought the Illusive Man wanted to speak with me?"

"When he's ready," Miranda stated as she led Shepard from the med bay.

* * *

Shepard looked up at the sound of the doorbell ringing. "Who is it?"

To Shepard's surprise, the station's crew appeared to be housed in small, individual apartments. This made it all the more shocking that she hadn't seen another living soul, apart from Miranda and Jacob, since she arrived.

After being shown to an empty room where she could stay, Jane had tried to rest. Every muscle in her body had been aching with exhaustion ever since she had left the first station. Unfortunately, despite the chance for her to rest, her body had refused to let her sleep. After finally deciding that sleep simply wasn't going to happen, she had settled for simply staring at the darkened ceiling, until someone came and interrupted her.

"It's Jacob, the Illusive Man is ready to speak with you," a voice shouted through the door.

"What time is it?" Shepard shouted back as she slid off the bunk.

"About seven a.m. station time. That's Earth UTC," Jacob replied before the door slid open in front of him.

"Can I at least get some breakfast first, I'm not very diplomatic before my morning cup of..." Jane yawned, pausing as Jacob revealed a large coffee cup almost on cue, "...coffee. Miranda?" she groaned, quickly accepting the coffee. "This is starting to get creepy."

"We good to go then?" Jacob asked as Shepard took her first sip.

"Lead away," Jane said happily before drinking a large mouthful.

Once again, the station's white corridors were deserted, although it was only a short walk before Jacob was ushering her into a small room down its own flight of stairs. The room appeared to be a perfect cube, with a large black disk set into the floor as the only feature. Unsure of what else to do, she stepped onto the disk in the middle of the room. The plate began to hum as she reached the middle of it, before a mesh of light began to rise around the edge. _I guess I'm just not important enough to meet in person._

The lights around her finally stopped above her head, before it disappeared, replaced with the image of another room. A single man sat in front of her, cast in shadow by the dim light from an immense star. The carefully filtered light reflected off the room's black, reflective surfaces, creating the eerie illusion that they were both outside, in the void of space.  _Really trying hard for the illusive part._

"Commander Shepard," the man said in way of a greeting, before taking a drag on a cigarette.

_Does anyone seriously smoke anymore?_  "Illusive Man. I thought we'd be meeting face-to-face," Jane complained as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"A necessary precaution," he stated, before taking another drag, "not uncommon for people that know what you and I know. Besides, it's not possible for me to leave at the minute."

"Comfortable chair?" Jane asked in a mocking tone. "So just why am I here? I died, and from what I hear, you spent a fortune to bring me back. Had my own giant space station and everything, not to mention the fancy, glowing implants."

"You're here for the defense and preservation of humanity. I didn't spent two years and billions of credits bringing you back for you to serve as a common soldier. But humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence," the Illusive Man hinted.

"The reapers," Shepard concluded.

"Good to see your memories are still intact. How are you feeling?"

"You don't get to ask me those kinds of questions!" Shepard stated adamantly.

"Cerberus isn't as evil like you believe. You and I are on the same side; we just have different methods," the Illusive Man explained.

"The method is just as important as the result!"

"There's no point in a method that you can't guarantee to work," he countered.

"Let's cut through the crap, what are the reapers doing that made you decide to bring me back?" Jane asked sternly.

"We had already realized that we couldn't afford to lose you before you died. Humanity needs you. So, we made preparations. We're at war, and wars need leaders. The problem is, no one dares to admit that the reapers exist. Now though, we're under attack, and we all need you," the Illusive Man explained.

"If the reapers were attacking, no one would be able to deny it. They have enough firepower to overrun the entire galaxy," Shepard declared.

"It's not the reapers, not directly, but they are involved. Entire colonies are disappearing. Human colonies. We believe that someone is working for the reapers, just like Saren and the geth worked for Sovereign. You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's only one reason why we  _had_  to bring you back."

"Why though?" Jane questioned. "You could have trained an entire army for what you spent on me. I didn't do anything someone else couldn't."

The Illusive man rose from his seat and approached Shepard. "You're unique. Not just in ability or what you've experienced, but in what you represent. You stood for humanity at a key moment. You're more than a soldier; you're a symbol. And, I don't know if the reapers fear death, but you killed one of them. They  _have_  to respect that."

"Alright, I  _might_  be willing to work with you, but I'm going to need some proof. Prove to me that the reapers are involved. Otherwise, I'm going back to the Alliance!" Shepard asserted.

"Miranda said you would be reluctant to trust us," the Illusive man said smugly as he returned to his seat. "That's why I waited until now to speak to you. I have a shuttle waiting to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you on route. I believe Miranda has a gift for you that might be helpful."

_There's no way you're going to be able to buy me._  "Is this a volunteer job, or am I being volunteered?" Jane asked as she gave him an accusing glare.  _Of course, if I try to leave, you'll probably just have me thrown in a cell and tortured until I agree to help._

"You always have a choice, Shepard. If the evidence we're both looking for isn't there, we can part ways. But first, go to Freedom's Progress. Find any clues you can. Who's abducting the colonies? What is their connection to the reapers? I brought you back, it's up to you to do the rest," he paused before putting out his cigarette and closing the comm link.

_Sure, just dump it all on me. I'd love to help you out,_  Jane groaned internally as she walked back up the steps, towards where Jacob had left her.  _And he didn't even give me the chance to ask him anything._

"What did you think?" Jacob asked as Shepard came into view up the stairs.

Shepard paused once she reached the top of the stairs. "He certainly lives up to his name. I just don't get how you ended up working for him?"

Jacob began walking along the corridor, waving for Shepard to follow him. "Originally I was in the Alliance, but in the end I guess I got tired of never making a difference. So much of what we did seemed pointless. I thought things would change after the attack on the Citadel and humanity was finally invited to join the Council, but nothing changed. Politics, bureaucracy, same bullshit, different leaders. Cerberus is different. When colonies go missing, we don't commission a team to write a report to figure out what the hell to do about it. We just go and find out."

"Yeah, but-" Jane started before Miranda spotted them from the gathering area at the docking bay they had been heading for.

"Ah, Shepard, glad you're here," she shouted happily as the two of them entered the room. "We've got something for you, one of Cerberus's prototypes." She patted the large box beside her, reaching well above her head. Two doors making up the front of the container opened to reveal a gleaming, heavy hard suit, painted in the white, gold and black of Cerberus.

"Miranda, you shouldn't have," Shepard said, carefully trying to restrain her response.

"It's nothing really," Miranda replied happily. "The development team has been trying to find someone suitable to field test it for months, so I got them to adjust it to your size."

"No, I mean you  _really_  shouldn't have. It's a tin can." Jane grabbed the front of the helmet's face plate, and tried to turn it on the neck. "Confined vision, what looks like, at most, twenty degrees of rotation on the head. The arms don't look like they move up past the shoulder," she complained again as she lifted one of the arms. "And don't even get me started on how much this thing must weigh. It's a death trap," Shepard stated as she lifted the suit from its container, barely managing to hold it before dropping it on the floor and pulling a knife from its belt. "Jacob, be a dear and go fetch me the hard-suit I was wearing when we got here."

"Err, of course Commander," Jacob replied, before quickly running off.

Miranda watched him leave before looking back at Shepard, her jaw falling slack, "Shepard, what are you doing?" she snapped at the sight of Jane using the knife to pry the armour apart.

"I'm trying to use this pile of crap, that you call a prototype, to improve the guard's hard-suit so I don't get killed if we run into a gunfight ," Jane answered mockingly without looking up from the armour. "Why, what are you doing? Didn't the  _Illusive Man_  say you were meant to be briefing me?"

Miranda crossed her arms, holding herself back from doing anything she might regret. "Jacob and I are meant to do that during the flight to the colony."

"So, what is your problem with me then?" Jane asked casually as she started throwing plates of armour across the room.

"My problem is you!" Miranda replied, slightly louder than she had intended. "So far, you've been bossy, ungrateful and downright rude."

Shepard couldn't stop herself from snorting with laughter, "And you've been a shining example of humanity in comparison, huh?"

"I earned my position here, Shepard. I earned leadership."

"And being given a free rein over reconstructing me and near unlimited resources just wasn't enough for you?" Jane laughed as she worked at pulling the armour's kinetic barrier generator out.

"Hardly, the Illusive Man kept a very close watch on the Lazarus project. Any change had to go through him," the dark haired woman groaned.

"So, what would you have done differently?"

"For starters, I would have implanted you with a control chip," Miranda mused.

"Ah, you wanted me to be your dancing monkey on a leash," Jane stated as she gave Miranda a threatening look.

"I felt we needed some way to control you. The Illusive Man disagreed, he believed that we needed to ensure that we brought you back exactly the way you were, and that a control chip risked altering your personality."

"In that case, I'm glad  _he_  was in charge, although it didn't seem to worry him about changing anything else. Biotics, cybernetic implants. Where exactly did he draw the line?" Shepard questioned accusingly.

"Nothing that would alter your personality, but he allowed changes that would make you a better soldier, and hopefully, help you to survive longer," Miranda explained. "I just wish he would have let me make you a little more-"

"Sorry, Commander, it's already been sent for repair," Jacob shouted happily as he re-entered the viewing area. "I did manage to get you one of the spare suits from the armoury though. Should be identical, minus the bullet holes."

"That'll be just great. Thanks, Jacob. I'll put this together on the shuttle." Jane said while she started gathering up components she had pried out of the unwieldy hard suit. "If you feel like being useful for once Miranda, you can make sure there's one of whatever armour the Alliance now gives out to its N-sevens here when we get back."

"I'll see to it," Miranda begrudgingly replied as the three of them moved towards the shuttle bay.

"And some breakfast on the shuttle would be great!"

* * *

"What did Cerberus find at the other colonies that have disappeared?" Jane asked as she finished of the breakfast field ration she had dug out of one of the shuttle's survival kits.

"Nothing," Jacob shrugged. "No signs of attack, no corpses. Not even any unusual genetic material. Everyone just disappeared, into thin air, and we're left without any clues about what our target is, or who to go after."

"Are you sure you're both comfortable obeying my orders? I don't need to worry about you disobeying me at a crucial moment do I?" Jane asked as she adjusted her slightly ill-fitting armour.

"We didn't bring you back from the dead just to second-guess you, Commander. The Illusive Man says you're in charge, so you're in charge," Jacob answered like a true soldier.

Shepard gave him a nod of approval, before looking at the silent woman sat on the other side of the cabin. "Miranda?"

"I know who's in charge of this mission, I'll do as you tell me," the woman begrudgingly answered.

"Good. Our primary objective is to locate and assist any survivors that might be down there." Jane commanded. "Secondary to that, we-"

Miranda cut in, unable to resist contradicting Shepard. "But there haven't been any survivors at any of-"

"Miranda, Shut up!" Jane snapped, knocking the other woman off her stride and spreading a look of shock over her face. "Secondly, if we don't find anyone that can tell us what happened, we search for physical evidence of the attackers."

"Understood, Commander," Jacob replied, while Miranda barely acknowledged her.

"Let's get moving then."


	27. Freedom's Progress

The three of them stepped out of the shuttle, out into the harsh weather of the colony. Snow was drifting down around them, settling into a thick blanket on every available surface. Shepard pulled her new Avenger model assault rifle out, and quickly scanned the surroundings of the small landing pad. Everything outside of the lit walkways was cast in darkness without any moons in the night sky offering light.

"Well, it certainly looks deserted," Jane stated as she moved towards a prefab linking the platform to the colony.

The prefab was set up as a small guard station, complete with two chairs at a small table, and two half eaten meals.

"Looks like they just got up and left in the middle of dinner," Jacob commented as he nudged one of the trays with his shotgun.

Jane opened the next door, leading into the colony. "If someone comes and knocks at the door, you don't stop to wash up first."

"But if a hostile force attacks your colony, you do grab your weapon," Miranda pointed out as she stared at two untouched rifles propped up in the corner by the table.

"Let's just keep moving," Shepard decided as she stepped back out into the snow.

"It's strange. No bodies. No structural damage. No signs that a battle took place at all," Miranda observed as the three of them crossed the cargo area.

"Usually a good indicator that there wasn't a fight here." Shepard tapped the controls to open the entrance into the colony. A volley of gunfire hit her shields, while Miranda and Jacob quickly moved into positions on either side of the doorway. Reacting on instinct, and trying to get out of the line of fire, Shepard sprinted forwards, coming to rest behind a handrail, several meters forward of the others.

"Mechs," Jacob shouted as he pulled one of the units towards them, sending it spinning through the air. "Looks like standard colony security."

Miranda's SMG tore through the mech suspended in the air. "They must have been reprogrammed to attack on sight. We're not alone here."

Two shotgun blasts from Shepard's position in front of them seized their attention. "So much for no survivors, I'd say we've got at least one." Jane pushed herself back to her feet as she returned her shotgun to her back, leaving her assault rifle in her arms. "So where is the security control room?"

" _If_  the blueprints are up to date, it's in a cargo loading dock on the far side of the colony," Jacob instructed.

"Then let's get..." Jane paused when a door ahead of them opened onto their walkway. "Is that a robot dog?"

"Short answer, yes," Jacob announced cheerily before his shotgun tore through the face plate and weak armour of the bounding mech. "Mostly used as sniffer dogs in the colonies, but they have a powerful taser just below the face plate. Might want to keep your distance."

"Duly noted," Jane grunted before the mech detonated. "What is the deal with these power cores?"

The three of them started walking up towards the next prefab. The small building was empty apart from a couple more abandoned dinners and data pads. They quickly left the small room, passing up another flight of stairs with a mech concealed at the top, and opened a door into the next prefab. Within a second of the door sliding open the three of them were all pointing weapons into the room, while three more were being pointed back at them by quarrians.

"Stop right there!" One of the aliens shouted at them.

"Prazza! You said you'd let me handle this!" A fourth Quarian shouted as she placed herself between the six weapons. "Wait... Shepard?"

_Is that... Tali?_

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives," one of the other Quarians shouted, jabbing his shotgun threateningly.

"Put those weapons down!" The quarian in the middle insisted again. "Shepard? Is that... you're alive?"

Jane lowered her assault rifle, focussing on the familiar enviro-suit. "Tali? Tali... do you remember when I gave you that geth data? Did it help with your pilgrimage?"

"Yes, it did," Tali said quietly as she turned back to the three armed Quarians behind her. "Prazza, weapons down. This is definitely Commander Shepard."

"Why is your old commander working for Cerberus?" Prazza asked as she holstered his weapon.

Tali turned back to face Shepard. "I don't know."

"Cerberus brought me back from the dead and asked me to investigate missing colonies. You know me, Tali, I couldn't say no to that," Jane explain. "I'm surprised to see you here though, what are you doing?"

"Back from the dead? How is that...?" Tali asked sounding shocked. "Never mind it doesn't matter right now. A young Quarian named Veetor came here on his pilgrimage. We came to find him after this colony went silent."

"Seems like an odd place for a young Quarian to come, a remote human colony?" Shepard queried.

"Quarians can choose where they go on pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement, he was always nervous in crowds," explained Tali.

"She means that he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his C O two scrubbers, and an open-air exposure and he's likely delirious," Prazza interrupted.

Jane crossed her arms, giving the Quarian a glare. "I've never known Tali not to say what she means."

"When he saw us landing he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved."

"If Veetor's the only one that can tell us what happened here, we need to find him. We should work together," Jane said to Tali.

"Good idea," Tali chirped happily. "It'll be easier to get past the drones with two teams anyway."

"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza snapped.

"No, you're working for me," Tali shouted back at the marine. "If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship." She turned back to face Shepard. "Head to the warehouse on the other side of the colony. Cut straight through the centre, we'll circle around to try and draw off some of the drones."

"Sounds like a plan," Jane answered happily.  _My little Tali's all grown up._

"Keep in radio contact," Tali said as the three other Quarians disappeared through a door behind them, before she followed.

Shepard lifted her assault rifle back to her shoulder. "Let's get moving then."

The three of them had barely made it to the bottom of a staircase before Shepard had a private call request on her omni-tool. "Hi Tali."

"There's a large squad of drones headed your way," Tali warned, the sound of gunfire audible in the background.

"Thanks for the heads up," Jane replied before the connection was abruptly severed. "Guys, we've got incoming."

"Looks like half a dozen drones are taking up formation just past this prefab," Jacob said as he scanned the area with his omni-tool.

"They shouldn't be a problem," Miranda stated coolly as they entered the small structure used as a common area.

They quickly came under fire again as they left through the door onto an elevated walkway. The drones had positioned themselves facing along the path, preventing anyone from taking cover behind the railing. Jacob was the first through, quickly throwing up a biotic barrier to defend himself, while Shepard's shield began to take fire. Miranda managed to hold back, using the doorway for cover while she overloaded one of the drones.

Trapped in a kill-zone, Shepard and Jacob were forced to pour a constant barrage of fire at the drones. As the third drone fell, the three remaining ones launched forwards, swarming Jane. Her shields fell quickly before she felt two shots impact her chest. Scrambling to try and find cover, Shepard threw herself backwards, throwing an arm up on instinct to defend herself as she landed on the ground. Jacob and Miranda quickly took down the remaining drones, leaving them to fall to the ground as a shower of scrap.

As Jane pushed herself back up to her feet, she realized that only two rounds had hit her armour. "What happed?"

"Well, you scared the hell out of me," Jacob admitted, giving her a cautious glance.

"What?"

"It was-ouch!" Jacob started before Miranda's elbow collided with his ribs.

"You projected a barrier," she explained. "I've only ever heard of a handful of human biotics manage anything like it without considerable training."

"Miranda, this is Shepard. The rule around her is to expect the unexpected," Jacob commented, still sounding a little overcome.

Shepard checked her rifle, replacing the thermal clip. "But, I wasn't trying to do anything."

"The usual problem is candidates try to over think it," Miranda replied as she started towards the next prefab along.

"I guess you're not expecting that to be my problem," Jane muttered to herself before her omni-tool beeped when it received an alert. She quickly accepted the message.

"Shepard!" Tali's voice shouted in alarm. "Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead. I told them to wait, but they wouldn't listen! They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get here!"

"Guys, we need to pick up the pace!" Jane shouted as she broke into a sprint. "Don't worry, Tali, we're on the way."

"We should have expected this," Miranda cursed.

The two Cerberus officers increased their pace to keep up with Shepard, Jacob doing the better job of staying on her heels. "We can still catch them."

"I really... shouldn't... have... made you... run... so fast," Miranda panted when they reached a sealed door into the cargo area.

"Tali, we're at the loading bay. We need you to open the gate," Shepard shouted over her link to Tali.

"I'm trying," Tali replied. "Prazza's team ran into a heavy mech, it's tearing them apart."

"I know you can do this, Tali," Jane replied as the three of them waited in cover just outside the loading dock. "I got it!" the Quarian announced happily.

The three of them rushed through the doorway. The mech came into view, firing the machine gun mounted in its left arm at the three Quarians in front of it, trying to scurry to safety. All three of them were hit by gunfire and fell to the ground. The mech continued its march towards its target before crushing one of them under foot. The machine gun primed, aimed at the skull of the Quarian before it fired, tearing suit, flesh and bone apart.

"Back here!" Tali shouted as she urged the two remaining Quarians into a prefab.

"Miranda, draw its fire!" Shepard ordered as she sprinted behind a pile of cargo crates.

The shield of the mech faltered momentarily as a surge of electricity pulsed through it. The head instantly turned, seeking out the new threat. Shepard's assault rifle fired, bombarding the target's shields with a constant barrage of gunfire. The rapid fire quickly dropped the mech's shield, leaving the plating open to fire. Jacob chanced a shot with his shotgun as the mech turned its back towards him as it tried to hunt down Shepard.

The fragments scattered harmlessly off the armour, barely denting it. "It's got heavy armour plating!"

Jane leapt out from behind the stack of containers she was hiding behind as a missile obliterated the stack. Abandoning her assault rifle as she rolled back to her feet, she pulled her grenade launcher from her back and hurried behind more containers. Another wave of gunfire from Jacob and Miranda harmlessly hit the plating, while the mech ignored them, turning its machine gun on Shepard. The rapid fire began slicing through the plastic. Jacob used his biotics to pull at the arm mounted weapon, shifting the mech's balance. The mech turned, trying to regain its footing. Jane leant out from cover, launching a grenade at the mech. She barely made it back behind cover before the explosion from the grenade detonating shook the containers.

Laughter became audible from a couple of stacks away. "I think you hit it," Jacob shouted as he spotted the mech attempting to fire missiles at its targets with an arm that no longer existed.

"It's still got a machine gun!" Jane warned seconds before the mech cut a swath through the containers with its remaining weapon.

Keeping to the mech's left, Jane sprinted out from her cover. Miranda launched a warp field at the mech, sending it staggering as it twisted the molecules in its armour, while Shepard set up behind it. The mech barely had a chance to recover before a grenade detonated against the back of its head, sending the chunk of metal across the floor of the loading zone.

"Tali?!" Jane shouted panting for breath.

"We'll be fine, Shepard," Tali replied from a prefab with the two other surviving Quarians in it. "Go find Veetor."

"You guys aren't injured?" Jane asked the two Cerberus officers as they emerged from opposite sides of the bay.

"I'm fine," Miranda replied while Jacob just nodded. "Can we go get this Quarian?"

Shepard led the two of them into the nearest warehouse. They entered, instantly finding themselves in what appeared to be a control centre with a wall covered in holographic monitors. A single quarian was sat in front of them, muttering nonsensically to himself.

"Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no."

Shepard stepped forward into the dimly lit office. "Veetor?"

"No Veetor. Not here. Have to hide," the Quarian continued to mutter.

"No one's going to hurt you any more Veetor," Shepard said reassuringly. "You're safe."

"I don't think he's listening to you," Miranda stated as she lifted her pistol towards the displays.

Jane quickly forced Miranda's arm back down before she could fire. "I don't think gunfire is going to be even remotely helpful with him. He's traumatized." She quickly used her omni-tool to power off all of the displays before Miranda could try anything else.

Veetor slowly rose from his seat, turning to face them as he finally realized someone else was in the room with him. "You're human. But... where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?"

"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked harshly.

"The... the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone," Veetor stuttered, visibly withdrawing within himself.

"Why didn't the colonists fight back, Veetor?" Jane asked, trying to keep her voice as soft as possible. "What happened to them?"

"You don't know. You didn't see, but I saw. I see everything." The quarian turned back to the security console, quickly opening up a video file to play across the full screen.

The footage showed insects flying around in front of the camera, while peculiar looking brown aliens, armed with some sort of rifle, patrolled the colony.

"Looks like security footage. He must have pieced it together himself," Miranda commented.

"What the hell is that thing?" Jacob questioned out of shock at the sight of one of the aliens with some form of pod.

"My God. I think it's a Collector," Miranda gasped.

"What's a Collector?" Jane inquired, feeling incredibly ill informed. "And don't you dare tell me they collect stamps!"

"They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega Four relay. Only a few people have ever actually seen one in person," Jacob clarified.

"They usually work through intermediaries, slavers, or hired mercenaries," Miranda elaborated. "If they're involved with the reapers it could explain what happened to the colonies. They're known for having advanced technology, they could be able to disable an entire colony all at once."

"Seeker swarms," Veetor cut in. "No one can hide. The seekers find you. They sting you. Then the monsters take you away. They took the people onto the ship, and then they left. The ship flew away, but they'll be back for me. No one escapes!"

"I think that's probably all we're going to get out of him, Commander," Jacob noted.

"Thank you Veetor. You've been very helpful," Jane thanked the Quarian.

"I studied them. Recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electo-magnetic. Dark energy," Veetor rambled.

"We need to get all of this information to the Illusive Man. Grab the Quarian and call the shuttle for a pickup!" Miranda commanded.

"What?! Veetor is injured!" Tali shouted as she entered the security room. "He needs treatment, not to be interrogated!"

"We won't hurt him. We just need to see if he knows anything else," Jacob declared. "He will be returned unharmed."

"Last I checked, I still give the orders around here!" Shepard stated.

"Your people already betrayed us once already. If we turn him over to you, we'll never get the intel we need, "Miranda accused Tali.

"Miranda, shut the fuck up!" Jane snapped, glaring at the Cerberus agent. "This is  _my_  mission,  _I'm_  in charge, and you follow  _my_  orders." She took a deep breath to stop herself from punching the woman again. "Veetor will go with Tali when she leaves, but I wish you'd join me. I could use your help, Tali?"

"Sorry, Shepard, but I have my own mission to deal with. I'm sure you understand," Tali said quietly.

"Okay, Tali takes Veetor, and she'll turn over his omni-tool data. She'll also send us any information Veetor might remember once he gets back to the Flotilla."

"Understood, Commander," Miranda begrudgingly acknowledged.

"Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders," Tali said, presumably glaring at the two Cerberus officers from behind her faceplate.

"Come on, Tali, I'll give you a hand with your wounded," Jane offered as she led Tali and Veetor out of the warehouse.

"I can't believe she's done this!" Miranda groaned as she crossed her arms.

"She's doing what's best for the victim. You saw him, he was traumatized," Jacob answered sounding defensive.

"And now our best lead on these attacks is flying off where we'll never see him again."

"You read the file of Tali'Zorah, she worked with Shepard, and she trusts her. I'm sure we'll get the information we need," Jacob continued.

"I won't hold my breath, these aliens are all out for themselves," Miranda muttered as she shoved her way past Jacob, back out into the colony.

* * *

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" Jane asked Tali as the two of them helped Prazza into the quarian shuttle.

"I'm sorry, Shepard. I have responsibilities. I've got my own mission to deal with," Tali apologized, her voice full of regret. "Look, my mission is in geth space. That should tell you how important it is."

"Yeah, I get it," Shepard groaned. "I guess I've just kind of been hoping to get the team back together."

"The  _old_  team," Tali amended. "It's been two years, Shepard."

"I still can't get used to that. It all happened so quickly for me. I don't even remember what happened to the Normandy," Jane sighed.

"It happened. I got a message from Garrus as soon as we got in range of a comm buoy. Does Liara know you're alive yet?"

"I... no... I haven't told her. How do you make a phone call to say  _hi, I'm not dead_ , after two years?" Jane questioned as she kicked a stone at the nearest prefab.

"You should let her know," Tali asserted, climbing into the shuttle.

"Have you spoken to her?" Jane asked urgently.

"Call her!" Tali repeated before sealing the hatch.

Shepard watched as the small shuttle launched, just standing there for a moment as the small craft rose through the atmosphere before she turned back towards the landing site of the Cerberus shuttle.

* * *

One again, sleep eluded her as she lay on the rough covers of the bed. The small apartment seemed eerily quiet, along with the rest of the station. The trip to Freedom's progress and back had taken most of the day. After getting back to the station and eating a hot meal, Jane had happily collapsed in bed, exhausted.

"Shepard?" an annoying, familiar voice shouted from outside of her door.

She looked over at her omni-tool sat on the bedside table, clearly reading two a.m. by the station's clock. "Do you have any idea what time it is, Miranda?"

"Early. We need to run some tests on your biotics," the Cerberus officer answered, before flinching when a very unhappy Shepard appeared in the doorway in front of her.

"Just don't make me punch you again," Jane yawned before Miranda lead her back towards the medical facility. "So what exactly is the problem? Everything seemed to be working earlier."

"I just need to run some tests," Miranda insisted.

"Why are you being so evasive?" Jane questioned. "This is my health, I think I have a right to a straight answer."

"It's nothing, I just need to test something," Miranda said again, continuing her state of denial.

"You're worried you messed up? Aren't you?" Jane asked, beginning to sound angry as she stared at the back of Miranda's head.

"I did not mess up!"

"Okay, something's wrong with me, and you don't want to admit that you don't know what it is!" Shepard mocked.

"I'd think twice about enjoying this," Miranda chided. "If there is something wrong, it's wrong with you."

"I'll survive," Jane laughed. "So what's the problem?"

Miranda was truly started starting to get agitated. "There isn't a problem!"

"Fine, so what has you  _concerned_  enough to be running tests on me in the middle of the night?" Shepard laughed.

"It's the barrier you managed to put up. It was... red." Miranda said without as much as a glance back at the Commander. "Biotics appear blue for every species in the galaxy, including humans."

"So that's why you shut Jacob up so suddenly. I'm not sure I understand what the problem is though?" Jane queried. "So what if it's a different colour?"

"Why is it a different colour? It could be that your body is rejecting the cybernetics in your nervous system. It could be a problem with the Eezo nodes. I don't know  _what_  the problem is, so I don't know  _how_  much of a problem it is!" Miranda shouted as she stormed through the station's corridors.

"So, are you worried about me, or are you annoyed just because you don't know?"

"I'm annoyed because I have to put up with you!" Miranda practically screamed.

"Two years working on me, and now this," Shepard laughed smugly. "Bet you're wishing you didn't put so much into me now."

"Something like that," Miranda muttered to herself as the two of them walked into the med-bay. "Sleeve up and get on the bed," she ordered, indicating the scanner Shepard had previously been in.

"So what exactly are you planning on doing?" Jane asked as she slid herself onto the bed.

"I'm going to use a low electric current to induce a biotic field around your arm, while I have the equipment monitor your implants and biological functions," Miranda explained, still sounding annoyed.

"And... should I expect this to hurt?" Jane ventured, already knowing the answer.

"You're a big girl," Miranda mocked in response as she attached several electrodes to Shepard's arm.

"You just love being a bit-" Shepard was cut off as she let out a short yelp of surprise. As the jolt passed through her arm the skin lit-up with a gentle red biotic glow. "Okay... that's... new."

"Get ready for another," Miranda warned without looking up from the controls.

"I get a warning this time?" Jane laughed back before letting out another yelp, along with the same red glow. "There has to be a less painful way of doing this."

"If you could flare you biotics at will, this wouldn't be necessary, but we haven't had a chance to train you," Miranda replied calmly before giving Shepard another shock. "Besides, you're trained to handle pain."

"How very reassuring," Jane grumbled. "Find anything interesting then?"

"It'll take me some time to look over the results," Miranda stated before giving Shepard another shock.

"You really are being a bitch with that!"

"I'm just doing my job. I think I've got all the results I need, I'll take you back to your quarters for the night."

"Well it's not like I've been getting any sleep," Jane groaned. "I hope that's something that's going to fix itself, and soon."

"I'm not a psychologist, but exhaustion should overcome the problem before any permanent damage is done," Miranda theorized.

"So, sooner or later, I'm just going to collapse out of exhaustion."

"I'd vote for sooner, you look terrible," the Australian shrugged.

"Gee, thanks," Jane groaned before slipping off the edge of the scanner. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."

* * *

"Miranda, what do you have for me?"

"Everything seems to be in working condition. I haven't managed to find anything physically wrong with her."

"I thought you said there was a problem with her biotics?"

"From what I can tell, the unusual colour of the energy discharges is down to the implants regulating her nervous system. The only effect I have been able to find is the difference in colour, but I've seen biotics in practically every shade of blue you can imagine. It's harmless."

"She's already a symbol for humanity. The uniqueness of her appearance in combat, once she learns how to use her biotics effectively might make her even more valuable to us than we originally thought. Is the information you obtained on Freedom's Progress enough to convince her to join us?"

"I believe she is willing to work with us, although she isn't even remotely happy about having to work with Cerberus."

"Then we'll just have to reinforce her belief that she works for herself. What of her mental state?"

"So far she seems short-tempered, bossy and obnoxious. Apart from that, she appears to live up to her file. Her handling of the Quarians proves that."

"It could be remaining hostility from her previous encounters with Cerberus. She will eventually come to see our point of view."

"This is Shepard, she's known for sticking to what she believes is the right thing."

"We'll win her over, eventually. Have her ready to speak to me at eight a.m. exactly, I need to prepare the next phase of this project."


	28. The Phoenix Soars

Shepard had finally managed to fall asleep several hours after leaving the med-bay. Rest continued to be evasive, however, as she tossed and turned in her sleep. A knock at the door finally woke her up, her mind filled with flashing images that quickly faded from her consciousness, leaving a layer of sweat on her brow.

“What do you want,” she groaned, fumbling around in the dark for her omni-tool.

“The Illusive Man wants to see you again,” Miranda replied quickly from the other side of the door.

“He saw me yesterday.”

“Yes. That’s why I said _again_ ,” the Australian replied coldly.

“Give me a break, I just woke up,” Jane yawned as she opened the door, coming face to face with Miranda. “Tell me you brought coffee.”

Miranda gave her a sly smile as she handed over a cup. “Decaf, you said you were having trouble sleeping.”

“Now you’re being cruel,” Jane groaned as she took a desperate sip from the cup. “Let’s get moving.”

“Good.” Miranda lead Shepard through the station’s corridors, back to the room Jane had first met the Illusive Man in.

Once again, she stepped onto the black plate in the middle of the room before the communicator activated around her. Slowly, the same dark, reflective room appeared.

“Shepard, good work on Freedom’s Progress,” a familiar voice said from the same, minimalist chair. “The quarians forwarded their finding from their debriefing. No new data, but it’s a surprising olive branch, given our history. You and I have different methods, but I can’t argue with your results.”

“You ever think about playing nice once in a while?” Jane asked, giving the man in front of her a less than approving look.

“Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat.”

“Perhaps you should take a moment to question exactly why they see you like that.”

“More importantly,” the Illusive Man continued, completely ignoring Shepard’s comment, “you confirmed that the collectors are behind the attacks.”

“I thought I was trying to confirm that the reapers were behind the attacks, why did you suspect the collectors were involved?” Jane questioned.

“I had my suspicions, but I needed proof. The collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens, usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete they disappear as quickly as they arrive, back beyond the unmapped Omega-Four Relay,” the Illusive Man explained. “Until now we’ve had no evidence of direct aggression. Their control of a relay and advanced technology is enough reason for me to claim they’re working for the reapers.

“That’s hardly proof of reaper involvement. It’s suspicion at best,” Shepard pointed out.

“The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and Alliance want to believe the reaper threat ended with Sovereign. You and I know differently. I won’t wait until the reapers are on the march, we need to take the fight to them!” the Illusive Man insisted.

“I hate waiting,” Jane admitted slowly as she crossed her arms, “but I’ll need a team. A good one.”

“I’ve already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists and mercenaries. You’ll receive dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be a challenge, but you’re a natural leader, I’m sure you’ll manage it.”

“I had a good team,” Shepard spoke confidently. “As soon as they hear I’m rebuilding it, they’ll come running.”

“Ashley Williams is back with the Alliance. Her file is surprisingly well classified, I haven’t been able to determine where she is currently deployed. Urdnot Wrex is currently on Tuchanka. He’s trying to unite the krogan clans, and hasn’t left in over a year. We can’t find any indication of Garrus Vakarian’s location. He went off the grid two months after you died. Tali’Zorak’s involvement at Freedom’s Progress was unexpected. I’ll need more information before I’m willing to commit to her involvement.”

“This is _my team_ , I decide who gets on it. If Miranda and Jacob can’t understand that, I’m not taking them.”

“Understood. I’ll keep track of Miss Zorak. If she becomes available, I’ll inform you. Miranda and Jacob understand that _you_ are in charge of this mission.”

“Good. You neglected to mention Doctor Liara T’Soni.”

“She was useful to you in tracking down the location of the Conduit. Now she would prove more of a hindrance than a help.”

“This is _my_ team, _I_ want _her_ on it!”

“She has almost no combat training or experience, and this mission doesn’t need a prothean expert.”

“Tough!” Jane stated before turning to leave.

“Very well. Our information on her is limited. She didn’t return to the Armali University after the Normandy’s destruction. Our sources currently believe she’s in the employment of the Shadow Broker,” the Illusive Man offered, attempting to resolve the discussion.

“Fine, I get it, they aren’t available,” she conceded. “I’ll do the best I can with what you’re giving me.”

“I’m sure you will. Remember, they’re the best. Before you go; three things. First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He’s a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counter the collector seeker swarms. ”

“I haven’t even started and you’re already telling me what to do?” Jane spat as she crossed her arms again in protest.

“I’m just offering direction. What you do with it is your choice,” he said in justification. “Second, you should also begin training your biotics. Miranda has already begun preparations to start instructing you.”

“Do you really think I’m going to put up with that arrogant bitch trying to tell me what to do?” Jane snapped.

“You’re known for your confidence, Shepard. Modesty didn’t destroy Sovereign.”

“I earned mine!”

“I can assure you, Miranda has earned my every confidence. She’s Cerberus’s top agent.”

“I’ll give her a chance,” Jane eventually offered.

“That’s all I ask.”

“What’s the last thing you wanted to tell me?”

“I found a pilot you might like. I hear he’s one of the best. Someone _you_ can trust,” the Illusive Man said before abruptly closing the communications link.

“Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?” a warm familiar voice said from behind her. “Nice hair.”

“Joker!” Jane exclaimed as she turned about to face the pilot. “You have no idea how good it is to see you!” She threw her arms around the pilot, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Watch the bones,” Jeff grunted in surprise. “Look who’s talking, I saw you get spaced!”

“I don’t remember any of it,” Shepard said quietly as the two of them separated. “I just know we lost the Normandy and some of the crew. Miranda’s insistent on reminding me I’m lucky to be here, although there’s a lot of strings attached.”

Joker gave her a sympathetic smile. “Come on, there’s something you should see,” the pilot offered as she started back up the stairs to the corridor.

“So how’d you end up here? Never thought I’d see you working for Cerberus,” Jane asked as she followed the pilot.

“It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to me, hell yeah I joined Cerberus,” Joker argued as the two of them walked into a viewing area next to a dark hanger bay.

“You really trust the Illusive Man?” Shepard asked cautiously as they walked up to the glass.

“I don’t trust anyone that makes more than I do. But they’re not all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly! And there’s this,” Joker announced just before light began to flood the hanger in front of them. “They only told me last night.”

The lights powered up in a cascade from the front of the hanger, steadily lighting up the familiar, sleek curves of an elegant hull. The black and white lines of the ship were only interrupted by a streak of gold and ‘SR2’ written on each side. Four large engines were mounted on the wings at the ships stern in a similar configuration as the Normandy. There was however, one thing missing that was glaringly obvious.

“It’s good to be home, huh, Commander?” Joker asked sounding ever so slightly choked up.

“You know, there’s only one option for her name,” Jane sighed before the two of them said “Normandy” in unison.

After leaving some quick instructions with the dock crew to paint the hull, Shepard and joker made their way around to the gangway to the ship’s airlock. Unsurprisingly, Miranda and Jacob were waiting for them just outside the doors.

“So how does she look?” Jacob asked as the two of them approached the ship.

“One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Joker admitted.

“I am amazed Miranda couldn’t guess what I would name her though,” Shepard prodded.

“Well, if I could do everything you can, there wouldn’t have been any point in spending billions of credits to bring you back,” Miranda snapped, rising to the bait.

“Okay, can we get indoors before you two try and tear each other apart?” Joker pleaded as he leant on the handrail.

Jacob turned to open the ship’s airlock door behind him. “You’re going to love the CIC.”

“As long as the pilot seat is more comfortable that on those shuttle’s I’ve been piloting,” Joker laughed.

“Once we’re given clearance for launch, and your... modification is finished, we should probably start by heading to Omega,” Miranda suggested as soon as the door sealed behind them.

“I know, Doctor Solus. I already got this _suggestion_ from the Illusive man!” Shepard snapped back. “The whole countermeasure to the swarms thing.”

“Acquiring Professor Solus seems like the most logical place to start,” a synthesized voice said from above them.

“That didn’t sound like a V.I.” Jane complained as she eyed a speaker in the ceiling. “Who are you?”

“I am the Normandy’s artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as EDI, the phonetic pronunciation of E.D.I.

“Pilots aren’t big fans of people taking control of the ship away from them. Especially Joker.”

“I do not helm the ship, Mr Moreau’s talents shall not go to waste. During combat, I operate the electronic warfare and cyber warfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interface with the ships systems,” The A.I. explained. “I observe to offer analysis and advice, nothing more.”

“I’m guessing it takes more than the four of us and an A.I. to man this ship?” Shepard asked just before the inner airlock opened into a gleaming walkway.

“The ship has a full crew. They’ve been working frantically for the last two days to ensure that the last systems were installed. EDI was at the top of their list,” Miranda informed her.

“How long should it take to repaint those sections of the hull?”

“No more than half an hour, the drones are already tasked with it,” Miranda said, smiling happily to herself when Shepard stopped dead, gazing along the deck towards the ship’s galaxy map and status hologram.

A deep moan from behind them suddenly threw them back to reality. “Real leather!” the pilot exclaimed as he sank into the pilot’s seat. “You have no idea how many times I wished the Alliance would give me a leather seat.”

“Good to see you got your priorities straight, Joker,” Jane sighed as she turned to face the pilot.

“Ahhh, leather!” Joker sighed happily as he turned towards the ship’s controls.

“Right, I’m going to meet some of the crew, let me know when we’re ready to launch,” Shepard ordered as she walked past Miranda and Jacob.

“Aye, Commander. I’ll be in the armoury if you need anything,” Jacob answered as Shepard walked through the CIC.

* * *

The crew deck was bustling with people when Shepard stepped off the elevator. Miranda had been right, the crew really was working frantically. Several panels were absent from the walls with a technician scurrying between each of them, from the looks of it trying to fix a malfunctioning door. Stepping over a stray power cable and carefully dodging a crew member with their nose stuck to a data pad, Shepard walked across the deck towards where the Normandy’s sickbay had been. She was curious to learn something about the medical officer that would presumably be treating any number of wounds throughout their mission. The door slid open to the sight of a very familiar woman seated at the medical officer’s desk.

“Doctor Chakwas?!” Shepard exclaimed in surprise.

“Commander Shepard,” Chakwas stated as she turned in her chair to smile at Jane. “I saw the Normandy crumble with you still onboard. You have no idea how good it is to see you alive.”

“I’m shocked, you’re serving on a Cerberus vessel?”

“Surprising, even to me,” the doctor admitted. “Yet here I am. The kind of trauma you endured would have changed most people, yet here you are. Welcome back Shepard.”

“Well I’m not exactly the same,” Jane muttered as she touched one of the more obvious scars on face. “You’ve been with the Alliance for decades though. Why leave now?”

“After the Normandy was lost, the surviving crew was reassigned. I was stationed at the Mars Naval Medical Centre. A very respectable position, but it wasn’t on a starship.”

“You need the hum of an engine to help you sleep at night too, huh?”

“I’ve spent most of my life on warships, never knowing what the next mission might bring.” Chakwas answered dreamily. “I don’t need to tell you about all the subtle little charms of living on a ship, you grew up on cruisers. But, life planet-side is just too static, too boring.”

“I know what you mean,” Jane mumbled. “Starships do have a certain charm to them. Are you sure you want to come on this mission though? We’re up against an unknown, technologically superior enemy, I doubt we’re all going to be coming back alive from this mission.”

“I’ve been through the Reclaiming of Shanxi, the Skyllian Blitz... we survived the Battle of the Citadel, and the destruction of the Normandy together.”

“Well, you survived,” Jane chuckled lightly.

“I’ve lived a full life; no regrets. I want to do everything I can to ensure the success of this mission, and try to give the crew the same opportunity,” Chakwas commented, sounding incredibly determined.

“You still don’t seem like the Cerberus type, Doctor.”

“I don’t work for Cerberus, I work you! Since I got here, I’ve received three job offers from the Illusive man. I’ve declined all of them. I’m here for you, Shepard, and Joker, not because the Illusive Man asked,” she stated sounding slightly agitated.

“Well, it’s great to see you. Nice to know there’s at least two familiar faces onboard,” Jane said happily. “So has Miranda sent you any information on my... well, schematics I guess?”

“I was just looking over your implants actually. They are miles beyond any sort of cybernetics I’ve seen before, but I should still be able to stitch you back together when you end up on one of my beds.”

“Glad to hear it,” Jane laughed. “I’m going to go find my quarters, try and settle in a bit before we launch.” Jane offered a smile before she left the med-bay.

Feeling considerably happier about who she was working with after seeing Joker and Doctor Chakwas, Shepard walked through the mess hall, saying hello to two of the ship’s crew members as she passed them in the ship’s galley. When she arrived at the far side of the deck, she walked up to the doors into where the CO’s quarters had been on the original Normandy. Without pausing, she pressed the door control and stepped through.

“Shepard!” Miranda exclaimed sounding surprised as she looked up from the desk in the middle of the room. “I thought you were looking around the ship, is there a problem?”

“No, I... just thought these were my quarters?” Jane asked, looking into the incredibly large set of quarters for a frigate.

“While scaling up the size of the Normandy, we obviously inserted several new decks. Your quarters are on the first deck, directly above the Ship’s CIC. This section is designated as the XO’s quarters,” Miranda replied as though she was reading from a text book.

“So, you’re assigned as the ship’s XO?” Jane queried.

“As the ranking Cerberus officer, the Illusive Man assigned me as your First Officer.”

“I have say over what happens onboard this ship, not him,” Jane stated as she crossed her arms.

“The Illusive Man said-”

“I don’t care what he said,” Jane spat. “This is my ship, and my command. My word is law on this ship, do you understand?”

“Of course, Commander,” Miranda reluctantly replied.

“Good. Is there anything I should know about the ship then?”

“We’ve had the crew assembled for several days now, finishing the last few details on the ship, and they seem to be working well together. According to diagnostics, all the systems are currently fit to work at optimum capacity. They even managed to finish EDI’s installation onboard the Normandy in a surprisingly small amount of time.”

“So what do you do here, apart from keeping an eye on me?” Jane asked, feeling incredibly suspicious of Miranda.

“I see to the running of the Normandy, ensure that she, and her crew, are in fit condition so that you can focus on our mission and building your team. You’re the Illusive Man’s most valuable asset, I’m here to do everything possible to ensure that you succeed,” Miranda explained.

“So, I know what we’re doing, but what are Cerberus’ long-term goals?” Jane asked.

“The advancement of the human race,” Miranda replied as though it was obvious. “The salarians have the STG, the asari have their commandos for stealth and reconnaissance. We’re humanity’s solution.”

“But what government do you answer to?”

“We don’t. The Illusive Man runs Cerberus as a private organization with the support of our backers. We have both private organizations and individuals, as well as members of the military funding Cerberus’ operations. We also have significant private holdings that fund our expansive operations.”

“So, is it a military or political organization?”

“Cerberus has several divisions. Political, military, research. But we’re all working towards the same goal. We keep our ranks and structure similar to the alliance. Many of our recruits started there and joined us when they decided that the Alliance was too busy with politics to do its job, look after the interests of humanity. We don’t limit ourselves by using the same protocols in each cell, and we try not to get bogged down with formality or bureaucracy.”

“Or oversight,” Jane added, “and that just leaves the Illusive Man sitting at the top.”

“He’s no saint, and he’s the first to admit it, but he is dedicated. Whatever people might say about him, I can assure you that he’s got humanity’s best interests at heart. That includes you and me,” Miranda said defensively.

“Sure he does... So how did you say I can get to my quarters?”

“Take the elevator to the top deck, EDI can guide you,” Miranda replied as she looked back to her computer terminal.

“Thanks,” Shepard muttered as she started walking out of the quarters.

She had barely made it five steps past the door when Joker’s voice rang over the ship’s intercom. _“Shepard, control just cleared us for launch. Thought you’d want to be up here for it.”_

“I’ll be right there,” Shepard answered before quickening her pace towards the elevator.

* * *

“Just like old times,” Joker sighed happily as the hangers doors opened up to the empty void of space beyond.

The vessel slowly eased itself out of its berth, reaching out towards the soft twinkle of the stars surrounding them. As the engines cleared the station, the vessel began a gentle arc towards the nearest relay before the Normandy shot forwards.

With the ship now on route towards their first destination, Omega, Shepard had retreated to her quarters with the hope of catching up on some desperately needed sleep. Rest, however, continued to elude her as her mind filled with thoughts of one person, Liara. She couldn’t help but to keep returning to Tali’s insistent suggestion that Shepard should speak to her.

_How could I even begin to explain all of this? I don’t even understand it. And two years... she could have met someone, forgotten about me... is she even alive? Tali seemed to think so. The Illusive man mentioned the Shadow Broker, but can I trust anything he says?_

She continued to toss and turn for what felt like hours, slowly watching the minutes pass on the small clock beside her bed. Eventually, she gave in to her curiosity and desire, and threw the bedding off of her. Frustrated with herself, she leapt to her feet and walked up to the small desk and terminal in her room.

As the terminal awoke, she grabbed her discarded top from the floor, quickly pulling it on as the display lit up in front of her. Able to easily recall the ID number for Liara’s omni-tool, she quickly entered it and waited for the computer to establish a link. After several minutes of waiting, the computer displayed an error message while an automated voice stated “Error. Device not located on FTL network. Unable to connect.”

“Just typical,” Jane muttered to herself.

Unable to think of any other way of contacting Liara, Shepard discarded her cloths again and returned to her bed. Barely five minutes after she had collapsed onto the soft mattress and finally feeling like she could settle, a chime rang through the room from the direction of the door.

“Who is it?” she growled.

To her surprise, the door slid open, revealing a short red-haired woman. “Commander, I just wanted to introduce myself, and... erm... sorry?” The woman seemed to blush lightly as she realized the commander’s state of undress.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Jane snapped as she pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “Get out!”

“Sorry,” the woman rapidly repeated before the doors closed in front of her.

 _I could swear I locked that door,_ Shepard sighed to herself as she slid out of bed again. She quickly pulled on a clean set of clothes and walked over to the door.

The woman jumped when Shepard appeared in the doorway. “I’m so sorry. The door was open, and it’s almost lunch,” she explained, “I had no idea you’d be resting.”

“Its fine, I should have made sure the door was locked. In the future though, don’t come barging into my quarters unless I invite you in. Personal space is hard to find on a ship, don’t go invading what little space people have.”

“Of course, Commander. Erm, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I’ve been assigned as your administrative assistant. I’ll manage your messages and help you monitor the crew.”

“I don’t need someone rummaging through my private messages,” Jane snapped. “Isn’t this all the sort of thing that’s better suited to a VI anyway?”

“Yes, but being your yeoman is just my official role. Unofficially, I monitor the crew. We all know how risky this mission is. Most of us probably won’t be coming back. That’s a lot of stress and pressure for anyone to deal with,” Kelly Chambers explained. “I have a couple of degrees in psychology, I’m good at sensing when people are overtaxed, and how they’re doing.”

“So you’re the ship’s councillor?” Jane asked as she crossed her arms defensively, “You make sure the crew’s mental health is sound?”

“Yes, I look for warning signs in the ship’s crew. It’s most effective when done informally, so I was given this as an official role.”

“Then I’m glad to know we have someone on board to warn me if anything is wrong then,” Shepard politely replied. “Now, unless there’s something else?”

“Just a message, Operative Lawson would like you to meet her in the port cargo bay on deck four.”

“I’ll go meet her,” Jane sighed as she stepped out of her quarters towards the waiting elevator. “Thank you, Ms Chambers.”

“Please, call me Kelly,” The young woman said happily as she stepped into the car beside Jane.

* * *

“Okay, Miranda, what do you want?” Jane snapped as she stepped into the cargo bay. She had expected to find the room filled with the basic supplied for their mission, but to her surprise, it was almost completely empty. It just contained Miranda standing in the middle, fidgeting with some sort of white plastic tower in the middle with a pistol perched on the top of it.

“Shepard, I didn’t expect you to get down here so quickly. I thought you’d still be busy meeting the crew?” Miranda asked as she glanced back over her shoulder.

“Actually, I was trying to get some rest,” Shepard stated sounding a little annoyed. “What do you want?”

“ _You_ need to start training your biotics. We have no idea what we’re going to face on this mission, and it’s important to the Illusive Man that you have the highest possible chance of succeeding.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. If the Illusive man was so worried about bringing me back _exactly_ how I was, why did he have you start poking around and ‘ _improving’_ me?” Jane queried.

“The Illusive Man felt that humanity needs you. Your leadership and what you represent to humanity. The first Spectre, and the woman that killed Saren Arterius. But, you are just one person. As past events have proven, you can be killed. Given the amount of resources Cerberus has invested in bringing you back, it only makes sense to do everything we could to keep you alive,” Miranda explained.

“Fine, what do you have planned then?”

“Simple,” Miranda said happily before quickly grabbing the pistol, turning to face the commander, and firing at her chest.

Shepard barely had time to flinch before she felt the first shot hit her. To her surprise, she didn’t feel another shot. After glancing down to look for injuries, she found several rubber pellets scattered around the floor as the red glow of her biotics faded, while the device behind Miranda made a series of clicks.

“Training rounds. They can’t do any real damage, but they prove that your mind is already aware that these abilities exist. Given your experiences with biotics, you’ve even managed to tie them into your instinct for combat.”

“So apart from getting shot at, what do I do?” Shepard asked sounding a little frustrated.

“First, you need to relax. We’ll be lucky if you manage to do anything intentionally today,” Miranda said as she walked away from the white object in the middle of the room. “Take a seat on the floor, and we’ll try some introductory exercises.”

“You couldn’t at least find me a cushion?” Jane complained as she lowered herself to the floor.

Ignoring her, Miranda continued as she sat down opposite Shepard. “Just try to relax. Focus on your breathing.”

The two of them sat in silence until Miranda decided Shepard seemed relaxed enough.

“Okay, you need to concentrate. I want you to try and flare your biotics. Just focus on moving energy down your arms and towards your hands.”

“You sound like some quack chi instructor,” Jane mumbled.

“Be quiet and concentrate,” Miranda snapped.

“I just feel like an idiot,” Jane complained after several more minutes of sitting in silence, “and what is that thing behind you meant to be?”

“It’s designed to pick up low level mass effect fields so I know if you actually manage anything today,” the woman explained. “This is something every biotic goes through at some point. We all feel like a bit of an idiot trying to do something that instinct tells us is impossible. Fortunately for you, your physical instincts seem to know differently.”

“I’m not sure any of that means I don’t feel like an idiot,” Jane complained.

“Slow down, relax and stop complaining, it’s not remotely helpful. You can’t expect any of this to happen quickly. Most biotics spend years training in dedicated schools, you’re trying to rush it. It could be weeks before you manage to actually do something intentionally.”

“How very reassuring,” Shepard groaned.

“Why does it always seem like you have a problem with me?” Miranda snapped.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Jane grunted. “It’s not like you’re arrogant or short tempered. People might start to think you’re worried that you aren’t the Illusive Man’s favourite anymore.”

“Hardly. I’ve always been happy staying out of the public eye. You’re the one that’s always getting herself into the lime light,” Miranda sneered.

“I never asked for anything that happened to me. What was I meant to do, let the batarians enslave everyone on Elysium? Should I have let Sovereign slaughter the entire galaxy?”

“I’m not saying that at all, I’m just saying that most people that avert disasters and stop criminals don’t use it to put their face all over the evening news.”

“You know what Miranda, I never asked for this. I didn’t want to be on Eden Prime for a geth attack, I don’t like talking to reporters, and I don’t want to be in here now,” Jane snapped as she climbed to her feet. “I’m going back to my quarters. I don’t want _anyone_ to disturb me before we get to Omega.”

Without waiting for a reply, Jane stormed out of the cargo bay, leaving Miranda staring blankly at the door as it closed in front of her.


	29. Omega

“Okay, Jacob, what have we got?” Jane asked as she stepped into the ship’s armoury.

“You wanted Alliance standard, and we got it,” Jacob answered as he pulled a large trunk out from a storage cabinet. “Only one version on from your old suit, so things should be fairly familiar.”

“I just hope they improved the climate control, always used to get a bit warm,” Shepard sighed as she helped Jacob lift the container onto a table.

“Why, planning any more moon walks?” Jacob laughed in response. “You’ll probably be pleased to know they redesigned the O-two system to remove the exposed pipes.”

“Couldn’t they have done that two and a half years ago?” Jane complained as they lifted the lid. “I take it Miranda chose the paint job?”

“She did tell me to leave off the logos.”

“How thoughtful of her,” Jane smiled as she picked up the chest plate. “At least I can turn my head in this one, even if it does shout Cerberus. I thought you guys were discrete?”

“I think she gave up on that after meeting you,” Jacob grinned. “Just doesn’t fit with your style.”

“Nukes you mean? Not my idea,” Jane said sternly.

“Noted. I’ll leave you to get dressed, we should only be about five minutes out from dock,” the man said before quickly leaving the armoury while Shepard began assembling the armour onto her compression suit.

* * *

“What a shithole,” Jane exclaimed as they stepped onto the station’s gangway. “Are we sure this dock is safe?”

“I wouldn’t worry, this dock is reserved for Aria’s fleet. It’s maintained to her strict standards... Shepard,” an unseen gravelly voice announced from the end of the dark walkway.

“You know who I am? We weren’t expecting a welcoming committee,” she shouted back down the corridor in response.

“Of course. We had you tagged ever since you entered the Terminus Systems. You aren’t as subtle as you think,” the voice laughed while the shadowy figure of a batarian came into view. “Aria wants to know what brings a dead spectre to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife, _now_ , and present yourself.”

“These lovely people just wouldn’t let me stay dead,” Jane laughed to the batarian’s dismay. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to cause trouble for Omega. I’m just looking to... meet a few people.”

“Things explode around you Shepard. You can’t blame Aria for wanting to keep an eye on you,” the batarian growled. “Afterlife. Now!” he left without another word as the party of three continued along the gangway.

“Must have heard about the nuke,” Jacob sniggered.

“So who are we looking for?” Shepard muttered just loud enough for Jacob and Miranda to hear her.

“We’ve got three dossiers for people believed to be on Omega,” Miranda explained. “Professor Mordin Solus, the mercenary Zaeed Massani and a turian vigilante that’s only known by Archangel. Given that angels are a human concept, I’m curious if he thought the name up himself, or if the locals named him.”

“We should probably speak with Aria first. She might even be able to point us in the right direction,” Jacob suggested as they reached another equally filthy walkway.

 _“Several quarantine warnings are in effect for one of the nearby districts. I would suggest that this is where you will most likely find Professor Mordin Solus. Reports of Archangel’s activities are scattered across the entirety of the station. I have however been able to extrapolate his likely location,”_ EDI announced suddenly over their comms.

“No word on Zaeed, EDI?” Jane asked the AI.

_“With the lack of any official law enforcement on Omega, the station is full of bountied individuals. I have already accessed six extranet bounty boards, totalling at more than five thousand bounties, many of which are for the same targets. I would assume that you can find him attempting to capture one of the more lucrative targets.”_

“We’ll be in touch EDI,” Miranda stated as she closed the channel. “Sounds like we should start with Mordin Solus, since he’ll be the easiest to find.”

“Why don’t we wait until we’ve heard what Aria has to say?”

The three of them walked in silence along the station’s corridors, looking for Afterlife. It eventually proved impossible for them to miss as they left the dock, entering the main station. The word “Afterlife” was written in bright holographic letters over the door of the building opposite, while a large holographic screen covered the front of the tall structure with the image of two gyrating asari.

“I’ll give you three guesses what species the dancers are,” Jacob piped when Shepard came to a stop.

“Elcor,” Jane said rolling her eyes before storming towards the entrance without Jacob and Miranda.

The two Cerberus agents finally caught up with her as she pushed her way past the club’s turian bouncer. The doors of the club opened into a long, wide corridor, the walls lit with holographic flames.

“Do you get the impression someone’s trying too hard?” Jane asked as she led the way to the next set of doors. The steady beat of the club got louder, becoming almost deafening, as they approached. The entrance slid open, allowing the blaring music to instantly overwhelm them. The lights flashed in front of them, each bringing attention to one of the dancers on a raised circular platform in the centre of the club. A large cylindrical hologram towered up behind the dancers on the centre platform, the image switching between them, seemingly at random. The large dance floor in front of them seemed to cover every bit of available space around the central column.

“Trying too hard is definitely an understatement,” Miranda muttered in response.

Shepard stepped forwards, pushing her way through the dense crowd filling the club. The heat radiating from each dancer hit her face as she moved deeper into the crowd. Somewhere behind her, Jacob and Miranda fought to follow her, struggling to keep her in sight. Trying to ignore the two of them, she made a beeline towards the bar off to one side of the dance floor. Without speaking a word, she ordered a drink from the bartender just before Miranda reached her side.

“I’m guessing it’s not actually possible for me to get drunk?” Shepard shouted, just loud enough for her to hear over the bass.

“You could. You’d have to drink enough, fast enough that your implants can’t filter out the alcohol. Not all that different to before, it would just take more,” Miranda explained before Shepard emptied her glass and ordered a refill.

“I’d guess Aria’s up there then,” Jane assumed as she pointed up towards a balcony looking out across the floor and dancers below.

“Probably, if she has a god complex,” Miranda shrugged.

“Tell that to the man that sits in front of a red giant,” Shepard replied casually before downing her refill and ordering another. “At least she isn’t as anti-social.”

“You call this social?” Miranda shouted.

“Nope,” Jane replied before emptying her glass for a third time and stepping back from the bar, said “pay the man,” and walked off towards one of the flights of stairs up to the balcony.

The batarian standing guard at the foot of the stairs let her pass with barely more than a glance. The first thing that came into sight as Shepard turned the corner onto the balcony was the silhouette of an asari against the bright hologram in the centre of the cub. The asari stated “That’s close enough,” before the figure of a large marking-less turian stepped forwards to block her view.

“Hold still,” the turian said as he powered up a function on his omni-tool and began scanning Shepard.

“Hey! You’re the one that wanted to talk to me!” Jane shouted at Aria around the turian as Jacob and Miranda finally caught up.

“True,” Aria conceded, “but you’re still getting scanned.”

“Not a problem with me,” Jane sighed as she forcefully pushed the turian aside. “So what is it you want?”

“She’s clean,” the turian wheezed, winded from Shepard’s blow.

“I hope he’s not talking about guns,” Jane shrugged, making sure to show all four light arms she was carrying, and the missile launcher she’d picked up from the Normandy’s armoury.

“Why are you on my station?” Aria asked as she turned to face the human.

“Your station? I thought Omega was a free for all?” Jane muttered just loud enough for Aria to hear.

Aria’s expression soured as she turned back to face the club. “ **I am Omega!** ” the asari shouted as she spread her arms. “I’m the boss, CEO, queen if you’re feeling dramatic. It doesn’t matter, Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule!” Aria ranted, now only inches from Shepard’s face. The asari paused and settled herself onto a large, black and white leather sofa running along the edge of the balcony. The pose deliberately lifted her white leather jacket, showing of the light leather beneath. She gave Shepard a smug smile. “Don’t fuck with Aria!”

“Well there go my hopes and dreams,” Jane laughed sarcastically.

“Don’t count yourself out yet, Shepard. I said nothing about getting fucked _by_ Aria,” The asari laughed as she gave Shepard another smug smile. “So I’ll ask you again, why are you on _my_ station?”

“We’re looking for some people,” Jane explained. “And, err... thanks, but I’ll pass.”

Aria smiled to herself. “Take a seat Shepard,” She offered.

“So, one scan and we’re straight to business?” Jane asked as she cautiously took the offered seat.

“Your death was plastered on every news feed in the galaxy, despite the Citadel’s attempts to keep it quiet. You could have been anyone, anything. I had to be sure it was really you. I guess the Council decided it didn’t have any use for a famous Spectre. I’m curious about you, but since you aren’t here to cause trouble, that’s where my interest ends.”

“So you know what’s what on Omega?”

“Everything worth knowing,” Aria replied smugly. “I don’t usually give it out freely, information is power. Just look at the Shadow Broker. Mundane things you can find out on your own. Just go for a walk down a back alley, or buy one of the mercs a drink. Better yet, speak to the entertainers. They give great tours. Just don’t waste my time.”

Shepard couldn’t help but glance over to the nearest platform. The dancer on it didn’t appear to be much older than a hundred. She caught sight of Shepard looking at her, repaid it with a smile. “I’ll have to pass again, thanks,” Shepard said as she tore her eyes away from the maiden. “Do you know where Mordin Solus is?”

“The salarian doctor? The last I heard of him he was running a small clinic in the quarantine zone, trying to help the plague victims. I always liked Mordin. He was as likely to heal you as shoot you,” Aria replied as she smiled to herself.

“He’s dead?” Jane asked out of surprise.

“Not as far as I know, but he’s trapped in a plague zone with a disease that seems to kill every victim it infects, except for humans of course. I’m not in the practice of deluding myself,” Aria scowled.

“So what can you tell me about him?”

“He used to be part of the STG. Brilliant and dangerous, a lethal combination. Just don’t get him talking. He never shuts up. If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they’ll let you in of course,” Aria laughed.

“I doubt they’ll say no,” Shepard said, sounding smug for the first time herself. “Any idea if there’s a mercenary called Zaeed Massani here?”

“I know of Zaeed. He’s been taking odd jobs on Omega for the last year now. He’s scraping together enough for a living, but for some reason, he’s been passing on more lucrative contracts. I haven’t managed to work out why yet.”

“So you don’t know where we can find him?”

“Afraid not, Shepard. You’re on your own with this one.”

“What about Archangel? I’m trying to find him as well.”

“You and half of Omega. You want him dead too?”

“Why is everyone after him?” Jane asked, ignoring Aria’s question.

“He thinks he’s fighting on the side of good. There is no good side to Omega. Everything he does pisses someone off. It’s catching up to him.”

“Sounds perfect,” Jane said happily.

“Well isn’t that interesting,” Aria yawned. “You’re going to make some enemies if you team up with Archangel. The Blue Suns, Blood Pack, Eclipse, they all want him dead. Of course, you’d need to get to him first.”

“Why, what’s happening?”

“A few of the local merc bands have teamed up against him.  Like I said, he made enemies. They’ve got him cornered, but they seem to be having a little trouble finishing him off. They’ve started hiring anyone with a gun to help, but it sounds like he’s just sniping them off one by one. They’ve been renting a private room for the last few days, hiring people. Seems like drunk patrons trying to show off to my dancers are all too eager. I’m sure they’ll sign _you_ up though,” Aria suggested as she eyed the curves of Shepard’s armour. “They’ve taken far less... capable individuals.”

“Do you know any more about Archangel? Who he is?” Jane asked as she got to her feet in a hurry.

“Not as much as I’d like. He showed up on Omega several months ago and started causing all kinds of problems. If you make your own laws, which everyone on Omega does, he makes life difficult. He’s reckless and idealistic. Fortunately for him, he seems to know enough to stay away from me.”

“Thanks for the help,” Shepard acknowledged as she got up from the sofa.

“See if you still feel that way when the mercs realize you’re here to help him,” Aria laughed as Shepard walked away.

Aria watched as Shepard met up with the two other humans and walked back to the stairs. Once they were out of earshot she waved the turian back over. “Grizz, give me your omni-tool. There was an asari on Omega two years ago looking for Shepard. I want her contact information as soon as possible.”

“Do you have a name?” the turian asked as he handed over his omni-tool.

“If I did, I would have told you. She was involved with Shepard in that whole geth fiasco, even you can look a name up.”

“Yes, Aria,” Grizz said as she slowly backed away.

Aria watched for a moment, until she decided that the turian was going too slowly. “What are you waiting for? **Now!** ” she screamed.

* * *

“I’d give her at least an eight out of ten on the cuckoo scale,” Jane laughed once she was out of ear shot of Aria and her guards.

“So, shall we head to the quarantine zone?” Miranda asked she followed Shepard through the club.

“Why?” Jane asked sounding surprised.

“To find Mordin.”

“We’re not going after Mordin. We’re going after Archangel. Mordin can wait.”

“But he’s in a plague zone!” Miranda exclaimed.

“In a clinic, surrounded by disinfectant. Archangel has three mercenary groups ganging up on him, and they have him cornered. I don’t think Mordin is going to die in the next couple of hours,” Shepard reasoned.

“You don’t know that. Mordin is more valuable to us!”

“Well, it’s a shame that it’s my decision then, isn’t it,” Jane smirked, as they came to a stop in front of a side room. “We’re signing up with the mercs, end of!”

Miranda let out an exasperated sigh as she followed Shepard into the small room before muttering something about jarheads. To all of their surprise, there was only two other people in the room, a batarian wearing a Blue Sun’s uniform, and a human mercenary.

“Who’s next?” the batarian shouted as the human left. “Well, aren’t you sweet,” he practically drooled. “You’re in the wrong place honey, Aria’s the one that hires strippers.”

“Miranda, does my file say what happened to the last guy that tried to objectify me?” Jane asked casually.

“Err... no?” Miranda guessed, unable to recall any mention of such an event.

“He got carried out of there up three bullets, and missing a few body parts,” Jane said with a threatening smile as she grasped her pistol. “And he was former C-Sec.”

“Hmm, you’ve got guts, I’m impressed,” the batarian half laughed. “You certainly look like you can handle yourself.”

“You could say that,” Shepard shrugged.

“Not so sure about the two in spandex behind you.”

“They’re biotics,” Jane sneered. “They’re not completely useless.”

“Fine, it’s their lives,” the recruiter mumbled. “Standard fee is five hundred credits. You get paid when the job is done, not before. If you die, your friends don’t collect your share.” He paused to look directly at Shepard. “Sorry. You’ll need your own weapons and armour... looks like you’ve got that covered. And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse or Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period. Any questions?”

“Are you sure I can’t collect their credits when they get killed?” Jane laughed. Miranda looked outraged behind her, while Jacob couldn’t help but laugh.

“You deliver the kill shot, I’ll see what I can do,” the batarian chuckled. “We’ve got a fleet of skycars running shuttle from the transport terminal just outside the club. Just look for the guy in Blue Sun armour.”

“Got it, thanks,” Jane said to the batarian before turning and leading the other two out of the club.

“My pleasure,” the batarian offered just before the door closed behind them.

“I hate batarians,” Shepard shuddered once she was happy they were lost in the crowd.

“He seemed to like you,” Miranda shrugged.

“So... that guy you shot?” Jacob asked, sounding slightly nervous.

“I didn’t shoot him, I just threatened to kick him. _And_ , he was ex C-Sec, and a drunk.”

“Harkin,” Miranda muttered.

“Okay, is there anything I’ve done that you don’t know?” Shepard complained.

“I only know what’s in reports and files. It’s your fault you’re so detailed in them.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be reading them!”

“They’re reports, what else did you think they were for?”

“Filing away on some dusty data drive in a back room somewhere on Earth,” Shepard huffed as they reached the club’s exit. “ _Not_ for Cerberus Agents to read.”

“Well it’s a bit late now,” Miranda sighed sarcastically while Jacob started chuckling to himself behind her. “What are you laughing at?” she snapped.

“You two, you’re like a pair of children. Ever since we got off Lazarus Station, all you’ve done is bicker,” Jacob commented.

“Are not,” Miranda pouted, causing Shepard to roll her eyes.

“Come on, I think I see our ride,” Shepard cut in, leading the other two towards another batarian in the transport terminal.

* * *

Liara once again scrolled down to the next report on her terminal, trawling her way through the day’s gathered data. The star Tasale was hovering just above the horizon, visible through the large panoramic window of her office.

“Liara,” came the airy call of her assistant. “There is a call waiting for you on your terminal.”

“Please inform them we’re closed for the night,” Liara yawned. “And then you should get going, you’ve been here since six a.m.”

“Very well, Liara, but you should take the call. It is Aria T’lok, she was... insistent.”

“Very well, Nyxeris. Thank you,” Liara quickly replied before closing the office intercom. She took a moment to smooth the front of her robe before answering the waiting call. “Hello Aria, it’s good-”

“Liara, it’s been a long time,” Aria cut in. Her face filled Liara’s monitor as the purple skinned asari grinned at her. “I hear you’ve gone into the information business, if my employees are to be believed.”

“Erm, yes, I have a business here in Nos Astra, I assumed that was why you were calling?” Liara inquired.

“Something along those lines. I have something to trade with you, but I doubt you’ll want to sell it on again,” Aria said slowly, almost teasingly.

“What sort of information are we talking about?” Liara asked cautiously.

“It’s a complete omni-tool scan of an individual. I think you’ll agree its worth far more to you than what I’m asking in return.”

“And what are you asking for?”

“A favour,” Aria stated, although the mocking tone sent a shiver down Liara’s back.

“And what favour could you possibly want from me?”

“I don’t know yet, you’ll owe me,” Aria smiled with a small laugh. “Here, I’ll prove you can’t resist the deal.”

The image of Aria on her monitor disappeared, replaced momentarily by a still picture. A human, clad in white and gold armour, stared at her with a pair of unmistakable emerald eyes. What little of her face that was visible was marked with scars and fresh wounds, each lit with a soft red glow. Liara gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth to silence herself. Several moments later, Aria’s face reappeared.

“I assume we have a deal?”

“I’ll give you double, _if_ you do a favour for me,” Liara practically begged.

“What?” Aria spat when Liara caught her off guard.

“Just give her a data file before she leaves Omega, _but_ , don’t give her any information about me, where I am.”

Aria paused for a moment. “Agreed,” she finally answered as she gave the maiden a large smile. “Send me the file.”

Liara quickly transferred the file and looked back up to Aria’s face. “I’ll know if she gets it.”

“She’ll get it,” Aria replied, not sounding very reassuring. “Get some sleep, you look terrible,” she finished before closing the link.

Liara continued to stare at the monitor as she brought up the received scan from Aria. She spent several minutes staring at the data, chewing on the inside of her cheek, until a sob finally escaped from her. Tears burst from her eyes as she collapsed onto her desk. Her wails filled the room as Tasale slowly drifted out of sight below the horizon.

_How could I do this to her?_

* * *

“So, where to first?” Jacob asked as they watched their ride lift back up into the air.

“I want to know what we’re up against before we check in with Cathka. It’d be nice not to be running in there blind,” Shepard commented. “We’ll each take a merc group, have a look around. Jacob, take the Blue Suns. Miranda, you’ve got Eclipse. I’ll take the Blood Pack. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” the two Cerberus officers nodded before walking away in opposite directions, each going by the armour visible in each direction. Shepard however, followed the only visible krogan.

 _“Shepard, I have scanned the area around your current location. The mercenary groups appear to possess a gunships and a small army of mechs, including a YMIR model,”_ EDI warned.

“Thanks EDI, I’ll keep my eyes open.”

Shepard barely had time to step through a door that opened in front of her before a rough voice spat “filthy human” at her. She looked down towards the small, spiked alien, and quickly moved on towards the largest krogan she could see.

“You’re in the wrong place, freelancer,” the large, blood red krogan growled. The blood red colour of his armour, marked with a white skull, unmistakably identified him as a member of the blood pack.

“Are you in charge here?” Jane asked without backing away from the krogan.

“Name’s Garn. I’m stuck here till you freelancers are done playing war. Now turn around and go.”

“So what’s the deal with Archangel? I’m just surprised you’re all going to this much effort for one guy?” Shepard asked casually.

“He’s just an uptight asshole,” Garn grumbled. “He’s a turian, which makes him slightly more annoying than you. Don’t worry, human. I’ll be the one to kill him today.”

“You sound confident?”

“I’m the only one that’s fought him one on one. He tried to take me down once. Waited until I was alone, but I held him off till my men showed up. He wasn’t so tough after that, chased him over half of Omega. Almost had him, but the slippery bastard managed to slip away before we could put a bullet in his head,” Garn growled.

“So you couldn’t kill one turian on your own? Not only that, you needed backup before you, a krogan, could try to kill him?” Jane asked, intentionally angering the large krogan.

“You’re lucky we need you, human. Now, get out!” Garn roared.

“See ya later,” Jane waved casually as she turned her back on the krogan. Five steps from the door, she heard a loud crash. Seconds later, the smaller alien she had seen on her way in impacted the wall in front of her, skull first, with a sickening crunch, before falling to the ground, limp. Refusing to show any sign of fear, she continued around the dead body and stepped out, back into the barricaded street.

Just as she cleared the door, the crack of a shot firing echoed around her. She felt the unmistakable force of an impact against her left shoulder that threw her to the ground. Acting on instinct, her biotics flared around her, forming a barrier to block any more incoming gunfire. The loud roar of a krogan laughing came from behind her until the door finally sealed after her. Slightly stunned, she checked her hud to find that the upgraded barrier had taken all of the hit, but the round had somehow managed to throw her to the floor. Glancing up in the direction of the shot, just visible in Archangels keep, was a turian dressed in dark armour, carefully following her with their scope.

_Who are you?_

Still slightly dazed, she dashed behind the nearest cover she could find, a tall pillar supporting the structures above, and waited to hear the next shot. After several moments of silence, she looked back out, finding the rifle still trained on her as Archangel simply watched her. Deciding to take a chance, she quickly darted back out into the open, towards where Miranda and Jacob were waiting.

“What happened to you?” Jacob asked as he noticed several scratches in the side of Shepard’s armour.

“Archangel took a shot at me. Got the weirdest feeling that he knows me,” Jane muttered as she checked her armour for any serious damage. “So what did you find out?”

“It looks like the Blue Suns have a gunship. Apparently Archangel has been getting in the way of their smuggling deals here, and generally disrupting their business. He’s also been taking out their agents, and did some serious damage to the gunship,” Jacob explained. “It sounds like Cathka is busy repairing it as we speak.”

“Okay, so we need to try and do something to keep that gunship out of action if we can,” Jane mused. “Sounds like that’s probably the biggest threat we have. Miranda, what about Eclipse?”

“The head of the group on Omega is a salarian called Jaroth. He’s in this for revenge after Archangel killed his brother. They’ve got a small army of Loki mechs ready to go once all the freelancers have been gunned down, plus one YMIR. Don’t worry, I was able to hack it’s friend-foe identification system,” Miranda said smugly as she pulled out a data pad. “And, I just uncovered a plot, by all of them, to kill Aria.”

“Okay, so that’s one problem that should hopefully take care itself and I’d imagine Aria would be rather grateful for that little bit of info. Unfortunately, the Blood Pack are just out for blood, no surprise there. Sounds like he’s just generally making their contracts harder, and embarrassing them when he gets the chance,” Jane shrugged. “There’s a lot of krogan there, and some little guys with razors for teeth. Doesn’t look like an easy fight.”

“Vorcha. They’re rather primitive technologically, but they are vicious fighters. Humanity became aware of them about a year ago, but the terminus systems have had them around for decades. Fortunately, they aren’t particularly intelligent, just try and take them out at range, and watch out for their regenerative abilities. They have modules of stem cells that allow them to adapt and heal rapidly,” Miranda warned.

“Sounds like this isn’t going to be easy. We won’t be able to fight our way back through the mercenaries. We’ll have to see if Archangel has any ideas for an escape plan,” Shepard complained. “Come on, let’s go check in with Cathka, see if we’re ready to get going.”

Cathka was easy enough to find. Since he was meant to be repairing the gunship, they just had to head to the hangar nearest Archangel’s hideout, behind the final barricade.

“Cathka?” Shepard asked as they approached two other freelancers that were walking out of the hangar.

Back there,” a human muttered as he pointed over his shoulder.

Jane nodded her thanks as she led the way into the hangar. They found a single batarian, surrounded by parts from the gunship and tools, working to repair the damaged vehicle.

“Sergeant Cathka...” the batarian corrected her as he removed the protective tint on his visor. “ Ah, you must be the group Salkie mentioned. You’re just in time.”

“Salkie?”

“The driver that dropped you off. He radioed ahead to say you were coming. You three tend to stand out compared to the other freelancers,” the batarian engineer explained. “The infiltration quad is about to give us the signal. Archangel won’t know what hit him. Any last question?” He asked as he turned back to his repair work.

“So what’s the plan of attack?” Jane asked as she positioned herself behind him.

“When we get the signal, all of you freelancers go over the top and the infiltration team starts blasting the last few walls out of their way. Archangels compound has a warehouse in the basement, but he blocked all the entrances off when he moved in.”

“So come up behind him while he’s distracted.”

“Exactly, then, we send every drone in the Eclipse armoury to keep him distracted while the last walls and gates are blown so the infiltration team moves in. If that doesn’t do it, we unleash the Blood Pack on him. The Blue Suns are the last to go in, covered by the damn gunship, if I can get her back in fighting condition that is.”

“So you’re flying the gunship?”

“Nah, Tarak doesn’t pay me enough to fight. Besides, he’s the only one that flies the gunship.”

“Thanks for the info,” Jane said happily as she fidgeted with several of the tools on a nearby bench. The sound of an incoming message interrupted her line of thought.

“That’s the signal, time for you to get going. I need to get this finished,” Cathka stated as he peered into one the gunship’s open hatches.

“Best of luck,” Jane wished him as she plunged one of the tools from the bench into the power pack on the batarian’s back. Jolts of electricity began to discharge into the surrounding equipment while he screamed in pain, eventually collapsing onto the ground with his armour still smoking. “Come on, we need to get to Archangel.”


	30. Archangel

Shepard’s boots were the first to land on the bridge, followed by Jacob and then Miranda as they leapt over the barricade.

“We need to get through these freelancers, but try not to kill all of them,” Shepard ordered as she fired a single round into the foot of a teenager running past her. “Some of them are just stupid kids.”

“We’ll do our best,” Jacob acknowledged before the three of them started sprinting across the bridge.

Their gunfire made a mess of several of the hired guns, while Archangel’s shots continued to rain down from above, hitting several square between the eyes, leaving little left above their necks. Two more of the freelancers that couldn’t have been older than eighteen went down with wounds to the backs of their legs. They would however make quick recoveries, if they got medical care.

Unfortunately, most of the freelancers ended up dead, or dying, from their combined gunfire and the effects of Jacob and Miranda’s biotics. They came face to face with the last aged human as they reached the top of the structure’s staircase, trying to hack his way through the lock into the room Archangel was shut in. He barely had time to shout “I’m going in first” at them before Jacob pulled him back, away from the lock, only so Miranda could place a bullet in the man’s skull.

Shepard stepped up to the locked door as she opened up a program on her omni-tool to hack locks. The door proved easy to hack, sliding open to show an empty room. Moving cautiously forwards, she stepped into the room with her shotgun in hand.

Two steps in she heard the unmistakable noise of a heavy pistol arming itself beside her head, before the barrel tapped against her helmet. “Drop the guns,” a muffled voice ordered. Shepard complied quickly, followed by a reluctant Jacob and Miranda. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Shepard,” Jane stated confidently. “I’m here to-”

“You can’t be Shepard. **Shepard’s dead!** ” the turian interrupted. “Who are you?!”

“I _am_ Shepard. I _did_ die, but she decided it was a good idea to bring me back,” Jane complained as she pointed to Miranda behind her.

“Shepard wasn’t a biotic!”

“Her again,” Jane groaned.

“Okay.” Using his free hand, he reached up and pulled his helmet off. “If you really are Shepard, you’ll know when I celebrate my birthday,” Archangel said in a now instantly familiar voice.

Jane looked over, her mouth hanging open in shock. “Garrus!”

“My birthday!” he repeated.

“Your file says you were-” Miranda started before Shepard elbowed her in the stomach.

“You don’t celebrate your birthday, you big stupid space chicken! If that’s not enough for you, I bought you that scope!” Shepard shouted as she pointed to the rifle on the other side of the room, next to the window overlooking the bridge they had just crossed. “Probably not the best idea you ever had, leaving it there. And you have no idea how good it is to see you again!”

“It’s really you?” Garrus asked in disbelief as he lowered his pistol.

“In the flesh,” Jane laughed. “Well, most of it.”

“I can’t believe... How is it... To hell with it, none of it matters. I’m glad you’re here, Shepard. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own,” he sighed, suddenly sounding exhausted as the scope of what he had been facing dawned on him.

“So what are you doing out here on Omega? I would have expected you to be back with C-Sec.”

“Oh, you know me. I got fed up with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own. At least it’s not hard to find criminals here. All I have to do is point my gun and shoot.”

“How did you manage to piss off every major merc group in the Terminus Systems this much?” Jane laughed. “They _really_ want you dead.”

“It wasn’t easy. I _really_ had to work at it. I am amazed they decided to team up though, they must really hate me. If you don’t mind though, I’d appreciate some help getting out of here. I’ve already been awake for the last two days. I thought you were a hallucination at first.”

“Nope, that shot to the shoulder hurt,” Jane laughed.

“Ye... Sorry about that. Wanted to know you were real,” Garrus said apologetically.

“So, exit strategy. Any ideas anyone?”

“We could just try and storm the bridge. The mercs set up those barricades to trap a single person, now we’ve got quadruple the firepower,” Jacob suggested.

“No go. That bridge has saved my life more times than I can count, funnelling all those witless idiots right into my scope. Unfortunately, it works both ways, they’ll cut us down as soon as we show our faces,” Garrus rebuked. “I suggest we hold this position and let them come to us. There’s only so many of them, and they’re already committed.”

“So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?” Miranda critiqued.

“It’s not all bad. This place has held them off so far. And, with the three of you, we should have more than enough firepower to hold it. We wait here for a crack in their defences, then take our chances. It’s not a perfect plan, but I think it’s the best we’re going to get,” Garrus shrugged.

“Sounds like a plan,” Shepard agreed. “Jacob, Miranda, head back downstairs and set up shop at the entrance we came through. If any of the mercs get past Garrus and me, tear them down, throw them off the bridge, whatever you can do with them,” she ordered. “Garrus, time we decide something once and for all,” Jane said, grinning happily as she pulled her sniper rifle over her shoulder.

“Sure, if you feel like embarrassing yourself,” Garrus laughed. “I’ve had nothing put practice for the last three months.”

“And no sleep,” Jane retorted as she fired a round into the head of a mech trying to cross the last barricade before the bridge.

* * *

“Twenty-three,” Garrus announced smugly as he destroyed another of the mechs that Eclipse were sending at them in ever increasing numbers.

“That all, this is twenty-eight,” Jane said sounding shocked before another mech exploded.

“You haven’t been awake for two days straight,” Garrus groaned. “There’s a big one incoming!”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on our side,” Shepard laughed as she took another shot.

“Why are they deploying your mech?”

“They aren’t, we hacked theirs.”

“In that case, we should keep their engineers away from it,” Garrus suggested before he fired a round through the shield and skull of a salarian. “So who gets the points for the mech’s kills?”

“The mech doesn’t have a rifle, so no one,” Jane shrugged as the large machine landed on the bridge.

The mech unfolded itself, rising up to its full height and stared up at the two of them at the window.

“Shepard, I’m not so sure that thing’s friendly.”

“Just give it a second,” Shepard replied nervously as the mech’s missile launcher rose towards them.

As an asari biotic tried to pass the mech on the bridge, the raised arm swung around, striking her in the head, and swept her clear over the bridge’s low railing. The mech continued the motion, until it had turned to face the opposite direction, and adjusted the aim of its missile launcher to target the barricade. It launched the missile, obliterating several mechs trying to climb over the barricade and sent a shower of burning scrap back down onto the nearby mercenaries.

“See, I told you it was friendly!” Jane laughed before the mech’s heavy chain gun started tearing through a wave of engineers headed towards it.

“So if you’ve got the mech all taken care of, what’s next on the list of things that are going to kill us?” Garrus asked just before the building shook from a powerful explosion.

“That would be their infiltration team,” Shepard mumbled before opening a comm link to the two Cerberus agents downstairs. “Jacob, Miranda, you’d better get back up here before you find yourselves surrounded.”

“On our way,” Miranda acknowledged before closing the link again.

“So, you’re the expert on the impossible. What have you got in mind?” the turian asked.

“Got any grenades around here?”

“Might be a few, somewhere in there,” Garrus replied thoughtfully as he indicated a large pile of discarded thermal clips and military branded containers.

Abandoning her perch in the window overlooking the bridge, Shepard started digging through the pile of trash, eventually pulling out a half full container of grenades. Jacob and Miranda entered the large room seconds later, finding themselves facing the container being offered to them. “No mercs make it up those stairs. Am I clear?”

“Crystal, Commander,” Jacob replied as he accepted the grenades.

“Miranda, give him a hand,” Jane ordered as she returned to her rifle. “Looks like they’re doing some heavy damage to that mech too.”

“I think I see Jaroth,” Garrus suddenly snarled as he stared down the scope of his rifle. “He’s been trying to put a bullet in me since I killed his brother. Their own faults, half of the tainted Eezo I seized back in C-Sec came from these two.” The crack of his rifle firing sounded across the bridge before the barriers around the salarian below them flared. “Damn it, tech armour,” Garrus cursed. As the turian reloaded his rifle, the mech on the bridge finally exploded, enveloping the now defenceless salarian in flames.

“That’s got to hurt,” Shepard winced as she watched the burning corpse of the Eclipse leader, and several others, get thrown from the bridge and plummet down into the depths of the station.

“Looks like the Blood Pack’s on its way,” Garrus mumbled.

* * *

“Shepard, help!” Jacob shouted as the large, snarling, brutish krogan charged towards him. He had tried repeatedly to stop or even slow down the krogan with grenades and biotics, but all had proven completely ineffective.

The grenades had proven effective at thinning the numbers of the hostiles on the lower floor of the building, but there always seemed to be more flooding in the lower levels. This krogan however, just seemed to be impervious to damage.

“Give me Archangel!” the krogan roared as he reached Jacob, slamming the back of a large arm into the human’s chest while the bone plate on his head absorbed a blast from the human’s shotgun.

Jacob let out a surprised grunt, before sliding to the floor winded while Miranda moved to try and stop Garm from getting any further. The krogan lifted his shotgun to fire at this new human, just as the body of another one slammed into him from the side. Unable to keep his balance, the gigantic brute stumbled sideways, continuing to be pushed down towards the ground by Shepard as his armour sliced into the metal walls.

“Told you I’d get you one day,” Archangel sneered as he stared down the sight of his rifle.

One shot fired, hitting the now alarmed, and trapped, krogan in the eye, the only weak point in the species skull. Half of a roar escaped his throat, before the entire body slumped against the wall and slid to the ground. Shepard pushed herself up off of the large mass, wincing when she realized the krogan’s armour had pierced the hip joint of her armour. “Why do I keep throwing myself into these guys?”

Miranda exhaled, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, and rushed over towards the commander. “Thank you, Shepard. I don’t know if my barrier could have stopped that shotgun,” the agent said quietly.

“I’m always full of surprises,” Jane mumbled as she pressed a hand against her injured hip. She winced sharply before pulling it away, finding a thick smear of blood covering her pale skin. “Ah crap!”

“You’re bleeding,” Miranda exclaimed as she spotted the crimson liquid beginning to drip down Shepard’s white armour.

“I’ll be fine, the suit and medi-gel will take care of it,” Shepard replied, shrugging off her injury. “How are we looking over there, Archangel?”

“You aren’t going to forget about a stupid media nickname, are you Phoenix?” Garrus sneered.

“What! They kept that around!?” Shepard groaned.

“Got quite big after you died. For a while you were ‘Commander Phoenix Shepard’,” Jacob affirmed.

“Just brilliant... and I suppose they all expected me to be _reborn, as if by magic_ , from the ashes,” she mumbled.

“Well, there was a few theories about that on the extranet,” Jacob laughed. “Guess they turned out to be at least partially right.”

“Very funny,” Jane mumbled before turning back to face Garrus. “That’s another one down. What’s left?”

“He’s more than just one. Garm was a freak of nature. I caught him on his own once, out in Omega’s depths. I’ve never seen a krogan regenerate so fast. I couldn’t get a clean shot, so I just kept firing rounds into him and he kept healing. I finally got him cornered, then one of his thugs turned up, started firing at me with a shotgun from the neighbouring building,” Garrus sighed. “Krogan...”

“With the Blood Pack down, that should just leave us with the Blue Suns then. I vote we take our chances and fight our way out.”

“You might be right. Tarak’s got the toughest group, but the two of us have faced worse,” Garrus nodded in agreement. “Besides, they won’t be expecting us to come out and meet them head-on in-”

Garrus was cut off as the noise of a machine gun tore through the air. Rounds shattered the windows around them, showering them with glass as two missiles fired into the confined space. The first passed between Shepard and Garrus, detonating behind Jacob and throwing him across the room. The second grazed the raised back plate of Garrus’s armour and detonated beside his head.

“ **You think you can screw with the Blue Suns!** ” a voice boomed over a loudspeaker from the gunship hovering just outside the building. The shock wave from the explosion threw the turian off of his feet, before he landed in the centre of the room. A quiet gargle escaped his throat as a pool of blue blood began to form around him.

“Garrus!” Jane screamed as the flames cleared. Gunfire continued pouring into the room as the gunship dropped Blue Sun troops through the shattered windows. “Jacob. Miranda. Keep the infantry busy,” she ordered while reaching for her grenade launcher and pistol. “That gunship is _mine_!” Shepard didn’t even wait for their response before she was charging straight into the oncoming swarm of mercenaries.

“She has got to be insane,” Jacob muttered to Miranda beside him, just before his shotgun fired.

“One of a kind,” the woman sighed, letting her obsidian hair fall forwards before opening fire with her SMG.

Shepard’s biotics flashed red as she reached the Blue Suns, their gunfire overwhelming her suit’s shield. Four pistol shots fired from the gun clutched in her right hand, killing two of the armoured soldiers standing between her and the shattered window. The remainder were left to Miranda and Jacob’s combined gunfire and biotic attacks. Discarding her pistol, Jane pulled the grenade launcher up to her shoulder and fired two rounds in succession towards the gunship before she dropped into cover behind the low wall at the window.

The first grenade exploded on target, just inside the open troop bay in the rear of the vessel and splattered the remains of two remaining troops across the interior. The second grenade missed its mark, colliding with an engine as the pilot banked. The machine gun lit up, pouring gunfire in through the open window as the vehicle turned on the spot and backed away from the structure. The heavy, rapid fire effectively slaughtered the remaining Blue Suns, cutting them down with friendly fire.

Shepard launched a Third grenade without looking out from behind her wall, just before the gunship fired a second volley. The grenade detonated against the pilot’s canopy, while the first missile shot over Shepard’s head, exploding somewhere close to the other three of the group. The second impacted the opposing side of the wall in front of her, blowing it to pieces. The explosion’s shockwave threw Shepard back, along with debris from the wall. She landed roughly, rolling across the floor until she came to rest besides Garrus. Winded, she struggled up to her knees before the air between her and the gunship could clear, almost tripping over Garrus’s high powered rifle on the floor beside her. Without pausing, she grasped it, and brought the  stock to her shoulder and raised the barrel towards her immense armoured foe.

Slowly, the dust in the air settled,  giving Shepard an unobstructed view of the gunship’s cockpit, covered in cracks from Shepard’s grenades. Holding her breath, she lined the weapon’s sight up over the canopy, placing the crosshair between all four of the batarian pilot’s four eyes and squeezed the trigger. Jane exhaled in relief as she saw Tarak’s skull explode over the interior of the canopy, before the vehicle began an uncontrolled decent.

Quickly she turned back to face the injured turian lying beside her and tapped the side of her helmet. “Shepard to Chakwas. We need a full medical team in the field, now! Garrus Vakarian is down. Repeat, Garrus Vakarian is down!” she shouted into her helmet, watching the turian move weakly in front of her.

A loud explosion came from somewhere below them, shaking the whole building as the gunship finally crashed.

 _“We’re on route to the shuttle bay,”_ the Doctor’s voice replied a moment later, already sounding slightly out of breath. _“Just keep him alive until we can get there.”_

“Hold on you big Space Chicken,” Shepard whispered to the rapidly dying alien in front of her. She pushed the rifle she was still holding into the turian’s clawed hand as he reached out towards it. “That’s not permission for you to die on me just because you’ve got a gun again,” she tried to scold him, barely able to keep her voice from cracking as another gargle emanated from the turian’s throat. “Miranda, can you do something?” Shepard pleaded with the Australian.

“I’m sorry, Shepard. Medi-gel isn’t going to be able to help him. We just need to wait,” Miranda replied quietly.

* * *

The shuttle ride back to the Normandy seemed to take an eternity, despite the clock on her omni-tool telling her that it had been less than ten minutes since Garrus had been hit. The blood pool in the shuttle had quickly covered the floor, as well Shepard, despite everyone’s best attempts to slow the bleeding. They had barely touched down in the Normandy’s shuttle bay before the medical team whisked the turian away into the elevator, leaving a trail of blue blood on the deck and covering Shepard’s white armour.

Now, she sat silently in the ship’s mess hall, staring at the locked door into the medical bay. No one had come or gone in the last hour since she had sat down. One unexpected person did however eventually take a seat next to her.

“I’m sorry, Shepard. I wish we could have done more to help him.”

“That has to be my best friend lying in there,” Jane sighed without taking her eyes off of the door. “We spent months flying all over Citadel space, fighting together, and... this. He gets hit by a lucky shot from a mercenary. Good thing he’s too stubborn to die,” she said, trying to force a laugh.

“He sounds a lot like someone else I met recently.”

“Probably. I knew there had to be a reason I got along with him,” Shepard smiled. “And, Miranda, thank you.”

The Cerberus agent paused as she got back up to her feet and gave Shepard a silent smile before walking off in the direction of the First Officer’s quarters.

Jane continued to sit silently, until eventually the med-bay’s doors opened and a single human stepped out, not looking entirely happy with themself.

“Chakwas!” Shepard exclaimed, rushing over to the Doctor. “How is he? Is he going to be alright?”

“He’s alive, and I intend to see that he stays that way. He’s lucky we got there as quickly as we did, else he would have died from blood loss. As for the damage to his face and head, it’s... bad. We’ve grafted on some skin, and we had to use some cybernetics, but... it’s not pretty. Luckily, as best as we can tell, he’ll have full functionality, although I’ve never claimed to be an expert on turians,” Doctor Chakwas explained.

“Can I see him?”

“He’s currently sedated, resting, and still in a sterile environment. From the looks of it, you’d be better off getting cleaned up and heading to bed yourself anyway,” the Doctor suggested.

“No, I can’t,” Shepard sighed. “We need to go back out there and find Professor Solus. Apparently he’s in a plague zone, so best not to put it off.”

“Then, do me a favour, Shepard, make sure you’re all wearing sealed hard suits. The last thing we need on this ship is a plague.”

“I don’t think it infects humans,” Jane shrugged.

“But now we've got an injured turian onboard, with a good portion of his face missing. A plague would make short work of him in this state.”

“Okay, we’ll keep that in mind,” Shepard confirmed before turning to head back towards the elevator. “Thanks, Doc. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t made it.”

“Just doing my job,” Chakwas smiled before turning around and heading back into the medical bay.


	31. The Professor

“I can’t say I was expecting quite so many people here,” Shepard said curiously as the three of them walked towards the Gozu District’s entrance. Since the outbreak of the plague several weeks ago a large shanty town had seemingly sprung up overnight, presumably hosting displaced residents that were outside of the district when it was quarantined.

“Why are they here? It’s not like they’re going to get back in any time soon,” Miranda queried. “Why not find somewhere else to live?”

“They don’t have the credits to go anywhere else?” Jacob suggested as they passed a brawl between a batarian and a human, which appeared to be over a half eaten nutrient block.

“Or anywhere else to go,” Jane added. “Half of them probably had family that got shut in. Now they don’t know if they’re dead or alive, or if they’ll ever see them again.”

“Don’t lose track of why we’re here, Shepard. We need Professor Solus. We can’t afford to stop and solve every problem we see. There’s more riding on our mission that just a few hundred lives,” Miranda argued.

Shepard stopped dead in front of the Cerberus agent and turned to glare directly into her eyes. “I’ll consider that as soon as you’re willing to tell me that they don’t matter!” Without waiting for a response, she stormed off towards the line of armed guards standing between the slum and the Gozu district.

“She needs to get her priorities straightened out,” Miranda sighed to Jacob, before the two of them rushed to catch up.

Shepard slowed back down to a walking pace as she reached the guard line. To her surprise, there was a single turian woman in a very heated debate with a male turian guard. “What do you mean I can’t get in? **My son is in there**!”

“Sorry lady, the district has been shut for weeks. No one in or out,” the guard replied without so much as flinching.

“How old is you son?” Jane asked, making the woman jump.

“He’s... er... eight. Why do you-”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to go in there and do everything I can to get this quarantine ended,” Shepard offered.

“That’s... you have no idea how grateful I would be,” the female turian answered, sounding ecstatic.

“Hold it there, who says I’m going to let you in?!” the guard snapped as he tightened his grip on his shotgun.

“I do,” Jane said happily before putting her helmet on and sealing it into place. “And if you decide you have a problem with that, there won’t be enough of you left to stop these lovely people from getting back into their homes,” she explained while pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the slum behind her.

“Fine,” the guard groaned in defeat. “I’ll radio ahead, make sure the team on the other side of the gate knows you’re coming. You’re not getting out again until I get an all clear that the plague is over.” Moving quickly, the guard unlocked a secondary door built into the main gate.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from somewhere in the slums behind them. “They’re opening the gate!”

“We need to go, quickly,” Shepard ordered as she led the two Cerberus agents into the quarantine.

The door snapped shut behind them, but not before the sound of dozens of pairs of feet marching towards the door became audible. The sound of an assault rifle firing rang through the metal, until the door’s locks engaged, sealing everything in or out.

“I hope that’s not going to escalate,” Jacob muttered quietly.

“Homeless, scared... they’re desperate,” Miranda shrugged. “I expect there will be a few less of them when we go in the opposite direction.”

“Sounds cold, Miranda. Now get those helmets on!” Shepard ordered.

“I hate these things,” Miranda complained as she sealed a helmet onto her borrowed hard suit.

“At least you don’t look like you’re running around naked from your silhouette,” Shepard sneered.

Miranda froze, staring at the back of Shepard’s helmet as a look of outrage spread across her face, hidden by her own helmet.

“Okay, let’s keep this moving,” Jacob cut in. “We still need to find the Professor.”

The narrow, closed off street was deserted. They continued to walk in silence, unable to hear anything other than their footsteps and their own breathing, until they finally rounded a corner to face a barricade.

“Don’t shoot, they’re cleared to come through,” a human voice shouted from somewhere out of sight. Seconds later a long line of humans appeared on top of the barricade, each armed with assault rifles.

“Good luck in there, the Blue Suns and vorcha are shooting anything that moves,” one of the guards shouted down to them.

Shepard gave them a quick nod as they walked past the barricade, only drawing a weapon once they were clear of the armed guards  and inside the quarantine. “Let’s try not to kill everything that moves this time. Remember, this is a residential zone. Expect civilians.”

“As well as a turf war. The Blue suns used to control this district, but the plague is probably weakening their ranks. Expect to see others moving in on their territory, especially the Blood Pack if they have vorcha. They’re completely immune to disease,” Jacob warned as they turned a corner onto the district’s main street. “Not to mention... disease... control.” His eyes gaped in shock as they stared along the wide walkway, bodies littering the street with more piled up at the sides, ablaze.

“Plague control, sort of,” Miranda sighed.

“I’m just glad we’re all sealed in hard suits,” Jane uttered. “They really are desperate if they’re burning them in the street.”

“Hold-up, mercs,” Jacob said in a hushed voice as three figures came into sight, just beyond the flickering light of the burning corpses.

“Now we find out if they’re hostile.” Shepard lifted the stock of her rifle to her shoulder, but kept the barrel pointed to the ground as she slowly approached the mercs.

The three of them were clearly dressed in Blue Sun armour and were having a hushed conversation until one of them glanced sideways, straight at Shepard.

“For the love of God,” Shepard groaned, watching as the three mercenaries pulled out weapons, gestured wildly and ran for cover. “Fire!” She ordered, just before Jacob’s, Miranda’s and her weapons all overheated in their hands.

“Ah crap!” Jacob exclaimed, abandoning his shotgun for his pistol and he threw up his barrier. Miranda followed suit, abandoning her SMG, while Shepard pulled out a shotgun and charged recklessly forwards.

The engineer that had overloaded their weapons struggled to arm his own weapon, fumbling with the grip before it dropped to the floor, leaving him standing exposed and unarmed. Jacob and Miranda’s pistols quickly shredded his shield and put several gunshot wounds in his chest.

Shepard fired with her shotgun, catching one of the two other Blue Suns in the head as they ran for cover. The shot tore through their barrier and helmet, exposing one side of a human woman’s face, as one penetrated her skull. She dropped to the ground, dead, and skidded to a halt behind the cover she had been running for. Shepard stopped behind what had at some point been a flower garden, now used to burn bodies, using the low wall for cover as she waited.

Jacob and Miranda had both moved behind a nearby bench, using the limited cover it offered as they began a never ending onslaught towards the only remaining Blue Sun, alternating between firing their pistols and using biotics, while the other replaced their thermal clip. Slowly, Shepard used the distraction to work her way towards her target, a turian. Once she had a shot, she gestured for the others to stop firing. The Turian looked back, moving to fire back at them, when he spotted Shepard, standing in front of him, weapon raised. She fired two consecutive blasts into the turian’s chest, sending him falling backwards over the edge of one of the large fires, and onto the burning pile of bodies. He continues to thrash for several seconds, while the three humans cringed at the wailing of his screams, until he finally collapsed limp and silent.

“I wish I could say he probably didn’t deserve that,” Shepard mumbled as she retrieved her rifle.

“Sounded painful,” Jacob said, still cringing at the memory of it.

“I guess the mercenaries aren’t interested in anyone offering to help then,” Miranda sighed. “We should try to find someone that could point us towards the professor.”

“How about him?” Shepard pointed back towards the first merc they had shot down. A sizable blood stain had formed on the front of his armour, but judging from his coughing, he might survive, with medical aid.

“I’m not telling you _anything_ ,” the merc coughed before spitting a mouthful of red blood in Shepard’s direction.

“Huh, batarian. I should have guessed,” Jane sighed. “I’ll cut you a deal. I’m sure things have gotten a little more difficult since the quarantine. And, since it’s a plague, I’ll bet medical supplies are running out. Tell us what we need to know and I’ll give you a dose of medi-gel. You’ll be right back on your feet, ready to start killing more innocent people.”

“What do you want to know?” the batarian spluttered through gritted teeth.

“Do you know where Mordin Solus is?”

“Bah! Humans looking for the human sympathizer,” the dying batarian laughed. “He runs a clinic not too far from here. I heard when he was asked to pay his protection fee, he gunned down our men, and then displayed the bodies. He’s no doctor!”

Shepard refused to rise to his bait, forcing him back towards answering her questions. “How do we find this clinic?”

“He’s got signs up around the area, trying to direct people he can _help_ towards him. No one can help us. We might as well already be dead!”

“Well, you’re not going to die right now.” Shepard activated her omni-tool and delivered a dose of medi-gel to the batarian’s gunshot wounds in his chest.

Feeling relief from the pain, the batarian tried to push himself up, before collapsing back to the ground screaming. “You said you’d help me!”

“I did,” Shepard replied and she pulled her assault rifle back over her shoulder and prepared to move on. “Now you won’t drown as your own blood fills your lungs.”

“You can’t leave me here like this,” the batarian screamed, unable to do anything but watch as Shepard walked away. “The vorcha will kill me. You can’t do this!”

* * *

The three of them paused as they finally game came to a doorway with a large first-aid cross lit up across it, the word “clinic” over the top. The twisting streets and walkways of the district had proven brutal, full of frantic mercenaries, and increasingly bold looters. A few of the district’s residents struggled to simply survive, but as they moved deeper into the district it became increasingly obvious that the plague and violent gangs were making that almost impossible.

“Guns away,” Shepard ordered as she holstered her assault rifle. “I don’t want us to scare anyone, especially after what that batarian near the gate told us.”

“No arguments here,” Miranda agreed as she holstered her SMG. “We need his help, we don’t want to risk starting on the wrong foot.”

“Then, probably best if you let me do all of the talking when we get in there,” Jane insisted as she led them in through the door. “Cerberus doesn’t exactly have the best of reputations.”

“Well, we can’t exactly argue with that,” Jacob agreed while Miranda scowled at Shepard.

They were instantly met with the sight of two suits of Blue Sun armour on the wall of the clinic, both full of bullet holes and covered in burns and blood stains. The message was obvious, and brutally effective. They turned the corner, finding themselves in what effectively appeared to be a giant waiting room, or it had been. Bedding now covered the floor along with bundles of clothing, food and bottled water. Huddled together in groups, humans and aliens sat around talking and surviving, despite the carnage existing outside of the small clinic.

“You don’t look like residents, what are you doing here?” a short man behind a reception desk asked them abruptly.

“Erm... we were looking for Professor Solus,” Shepard replied sounding rather unsure.

“He’s busy. We’ve got a lot of sick people to help, and you don’t look sick,” the man replied, diverting his attention back to the computer terminal in front of him.

“We need to see him, it’s important,” Jane insisted.

“Fine. If it’s that critical, he’s in the back directing treatment and working R and D. Just don’t touch anything.”

“Thanks,” she said gratefully before leading the way towards the only corridor out of the waiting room.

“Professor, we’re running low on cipoxidin,” a human voice called out from one of the consultation rooms lining the sides of the corridor.

“Use malarin. Plenty on hand. Almost as good. Causes cramping in batarians. Supplement with butemerol,” a Salarian replied rapidly, without pausing for breath, from several doorways further along.

“Malarin and butemerol, got it,” the junior doctor confirmed as the three outsiders continued moving down the narrow corridor.

“Cenozine is the catalyst. Bonds to genetic markers. Hard to find. Expensive to produce. Why not heplacore?”

“Is he talking to himself?” Jacob quietly asked the two women beside him.

“Too unstable. Inconsistent results.”

“Aria was right, he really doesn’t shut up,” Jane grumbled.

“Demozane a better option. No. Demozane toxic to humans. Not an option. Not an option.”

Shepard reached the last doorway along the corridor, finding a single salarian inside, pacing in front of a medical research station, similar to what she had seen on the Lazarus station. “Professor Mordin Solus?”

The salarian turned to look at them, before performing a quick scan with his omni-tool. “Hmm, don’t recognize you from area. Too well armed to be refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect.” The fast talking salarian moved to activate a computer terminal on a nearby table as he continued talking. “Here for something else, vorcha? Crew to clear them out? Unlikely, vorcha a symptom, not a cause. The plague? Investigating possible use as a bio weapon?” the salarian exclaimed before looking up at them. “No, too many guns. Not enough data equipment,” he continued shaking his dead. “Soldiers, not scientists. Yes! Yes! Hired guns, maybe? Looking for someone? Someone important. Valuable. Someone like-”

“Relax Mordin,” Shepard eventually sighed. “I’m Commander Shepard. I came here to find you for a critical mission. I need your help.”

“Mission? What mission?” the Professor asked, suddenly looking excited. “No. No. No. Too busy. Clinic under staffed. Plague spreading.” He paused to take a deep breath, before looking at Shepard with curiosity. “Who sent you?”

“Ever heard of an organization named Cerberus?” Shepard asked, watching as the salarian disappeared beneath the bench, searching for something.

“Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans,” the Professor replied as he returned to his feet, carrying a small piece of equipment.

“This mission is bigger than humanity,” Miranda commented.

“The collectors are a threat to every race in the galaxy,” Jacob added.

“Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar. But, need to cure plague first. Already created a cure. Need to distribute it,” Mordin announced as he held up a large metal cylinder. “Airborne. Need access to environmental control centre. Vorcha guarding it. No choice. Need to kill them,” he gasped.

“For the love of... fine, we’ll go take care of the vorcha and distribute the cure,” Jane groaned before muttering “why does everyone need something first,” to herself.

Mordin opened his mouth to reply, but got cut off by a loud groan from the nearest air vent. “Shit. That didn’t sound good,” Jacob cursed.

“Vorcha shut down air circulation. Tying to kill everyone. Need to get system back online before district suffocates. Here, take plague cure,” Mordin instructed as he offered Shepard the metal cylinder. “One more thing. Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into vorcha territory looking for victims. Hasn’t come back.”

“If we find him, we’ll do what we can to help,” Shepard offered before gesturing the two Cerberus agents behind her to move back the way they came.

“Thank you. Told him not to go. He’s smart. Bright future. I hope,” Mordin gulped.

“I should go,” Shepard said, as they left the room. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Hurry,” Mordin shouted as he watched Shepard’s heels disappear out of the doorway of his lab.

* * *

“I’m surprised this section is so quiet,” Jacob queried as the three of them walked along a deserted corridor.

Since leaving the clinic they had been attempting to follow an air duct that ran parallel with their current direction. So far though, they had only encountered a single group of vorcha that appeared to be looting the bodies of several recent plague victims.

“I guess they either want to stay away from the clinic, or they already scoured the area,” Shepard suggested.

Miranda froze at the sound of a metal ring. “Did anyone else hear that?”

“Probably just the air ducts cooling,” Jacob shrugged.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Miranda snapped. “They carry air. Any temperature differentials would be minimal.”

“Why don’t we just go take a look?” Shepard pushed her way between the two of them, heading towards an unlocked door. “I think it came from this apartment.”

“Only one way to find out,” Miranda shrugged before following.

The doors slid open when Shepard tapped the HI.  She was met with the sight of two batarians standing over a cowering human. One alien had a pistol aimed at the human’s head while a metal pipe, smeared with blood, hung besides the other.

“I’m telling the truth. I work for Professor Solus at the clinic. I came here to help you,” the human begged as blood ran down the back of his lab coat from a wound on the back of his head.

“We know you’re spreading the plague!” the batarian with the gun spat. “We saw the vials in your bag.” He pushed the barrel of his gun against the human’s wound for good measure.

“ **Please!** ” the human screamed in pain. “You have to believe me. Those vials are the cure!”

“Maybe we should cut off your fingers. That might loosen your-”

“I’d let him go if I were you,” Shepard interjected. “That is, if you want to leave this room alive.”

“Don’t move! One more step and we kill your friend,” the second batarian shouted as he drew his pistol.

“Not my friend,” Jane shrugged. “Never met him before. But, shoot him and I promise you won’t walk out of this room.”

Shepard felt her stomach sink as a smug grin crept across the face of the batarian holding the gun. His finger twitched before pulling on the trigger. Jane didn’t feel herself move, she couldn’t breathe. The world just exploded into a mess of light and energy around her. A gun went off immediately in front of her as someone screamed in pain. She blinked, bringing the armed batarian into focus in front of her. He appeared to have released the grip on his gun after it fired a stray shot into the floor,  and Shepard’s impact had pulled the joint free of his shoulder. Twisting the dislocated limb, Jane forced the batarian down to his knees as two guns fired behind her, knocking the second batarian off his feet.

“I warned you,” Shepard sighed before removing the pistol from her hip. “But you just wouldn’t listen.” She fired a single shot before turning back to the cowering human behind her. “I assume you’re Daniel?”

“Y-yes,” the man squeaked, slowly looking up at her. “I-I thought they were going to... kill me.”

“They tried,” Shepard shrugged, casually pointing to the bullet hole in the floor.

“Did Mordin send you?”

“He was worried about you. The Professor could use you help. He’s got a clinic full of patients and not enough volunteers. The vorcha are only adding to the problem now.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll go right away,” Daniel replied as he stumbled to his feet. “Thanks for... well... everything.”

“You’d better make sure you do something about that head wound before you go,” Miranda interjected. “It looks painful.

“Erm. We should go.” Jane quickly turned and led her group back out of the small apartments, leaving the doctor with his medical kit. “What happened back there?” she asked the others quietly once they were past the door.

“You charged him. I’m... actually amazed. Few biotics ever manage to actually master the skill. Yours was... messy to say the least. You’re lucky you didn’t hurt yourself,” Jacob answered.

“I think the... attack dislocated that batarian’s arm.”

“And if he hadn’t been there, it probably would have been your arm,” Miranda scolded. “ _This_ is why we need to get you trained. Your biotics are turning out to be as much of a danger to you as anyone else, even if they have saved you once or twice already.”

“Fine, I’ll make sure I come for some lessons once we get back on the Normandy,” Jane sighed. “Now can we get back to getting the air back on for these people?” She snapped before storming off in the direction they had been heading originally.

* * *

“I really hate these fucking things!” Shepard screamed as a vorcha she had been trying to block sank its teeth through the ceramic plates on her arm.

“They are rather troublesome,” Miranda agreed as she threw three off of the balcony they were standing on with a biotic throw.

Shepard punched the one on her arm, using her free hand, before firing a blast from her shotgun at it. “Troublesome is an understatement,” she cursed, checking the condition of her arm. Blood was beginning to spill from the holes in her armour.

“Are you going to be alright?” Jacob queried as she forced a hand down on the wound.

“A little medi-gel and I’ll be right as rain,” Jane forced herself to reply. “The environment control centre can’t be too far now.”

 _“There appears to be a large convergence of air ducts and power conduits one floor down from your present location,”_ EDI suddenly announced through their shared comm.

“We’ll take a look EDI,” Miranda replied as she opened a doorway back into the building behind them.

“Does no one else find the eavesdropping AI even a little creepy?” Shepard muttered as she followed Miranda.

The three of them quickly found a stairwell down a level, before finding themselves standing in what could only be described as a cavern. The ceiling was lined with pipes and fans, all eerily quiet, while a near bottomless drop waited over the edge of the narrow walkways they stood on. The walkway opened up into a platform in the centre of the large space, covered in controls for all the available machinery. Unfortunately, it was also crawling with more vorcha, and several krogan.

One of the vorcha rushed towards them with a warning growl. “You no come here. We shut down machines. Stop air.”

Shepard let out a sigh as she pulled her sniper rifle over her shoulder.

 “You all choke and die! Then Collectors make us-” the vorcha was cut off as a single round shot through one of the holes in the top of the species skull.

“Get in a line, and I’ll take you all down at once,” Jane shouted cockily. “Or, keep running around and I’ll just have to do it one at a time.”

The three humans had to quickly sprint into cover behind a computer terminal, before a large wave of gunfire tore through the door that had been behind them. Shepard ditched her sniper in favour of her assault rifle, while Miranda and Jacob both pulled out pistols and starting firing at every alien they could see on the platform around them.

“I count seventeen,” Jacob panted after managing to hit a moving target with a single round out of an entire thermal clip.

“Twenty two, including three krogan,” Shepard corrected him before firing a short burst with her assault rifle. “If I can group a few together, can you two throw them over the edge?”

“It depends if any of the krogan are biotics, but we can try,” Miranda grunted just before a gunshot flew within inches of her head, making her very grateful for the hard suit she was wearing.

“We should be able to tear through their barriers anyway,” Jacob added while returning fire at Miranda’s attacker.

“Stay here and keep taking shots when you get the chance, but no biotics until I say so,” Shepard ordered before sprinting out of cover as she sprayed fire with her rifle.

“Her psych file really should have read ‘insane’,” Miranda muttered as she and Jacob attempted to provide covering fire until the commander disappeared from view behind one of the pipes that rose up through the suspended walkway.

The two Cerberus agents continued firing, picking off several of the vorcha, before gunfire on their enemy’s flank sent them all running for cover. This was followed by the quiet patter of metal landing on metal as several flat metal disks clattered towards the alien’s feet. The temporary silence was shattered as screams erupted from the vorcha. They all forced their way backwards, away from the grenades, and out into the open central passage on the walkway.

“ **Now!”** Shepard shouted, just before the grenades exploded at the feet of one of the krogan.

Right on cue, they both sent out a large wave of dark energy towards the now clustered foes. The tightly packed vorcha were effortlessly flung across the platform and over the safety rail, plummeting to their deaths below. Shepard ducked back into cover behind one of the thick, heavy pipes, just before what remained of the krogan splattered against the opposite side.

“I count two krogan, six vorcha left” Jacob shouted.

“I’ve got the krogan!” Shepard grunted back through gritted teeth as she sprinted back out from cover.

The two remaining krogan lumbered into view as she reached the far side of the platform. They both appeared to be seeking her out as they moved slowly through the cluster of pipes, fans and airways that were providing them cover from long range fire. Switching to her shotgun, Jane sprinted forwards. She veered to the side as the closest krogan raised his weapon, narrowly dodging the shotgun blast that followed.

Using her opponent’s size against them, she slipped behind the large krogan’s back, still clutching her shotgun tightly. The second krogan spotted her and charged, intent on beating the small human attacking them with the butt of his weapon. Shepard spotted him out of the corner of her eye, rolling to safety at the last second. The krogan, unable to stop, hit the first one on the back and sent him stumbling forwards.

Following through from her roll, Jane raised the barrel of her shotgun to the thick leg of the slightly stunned krogan now standing in front of her, and squeezed the trigger. The blast echoed in the large, open space as blood, flesh and bone burst from the krogan’s armoured knee. A sickening crunch followed the ringing of the weapon firing as the brute began to topple. Shepard scrambled up to her feet seconds before the krogan landed where she had been kneeling. The krogan that had initially shot at her charged forwards, tripping over the large lump that was his injured ally.

Shepard watched as the two large beasts piled up. She kicked the top one over onto its side with a blood stained white boot. The barrel of her shotgun raised to the alien’s eye socket, before the weapon fired. The krogan fell back down, limp onto his injured colleague, pinning him down by his injured leg. Shepard slowly circled around her prey.

“It was just a business transaction,” the krogan grunted. “The Blood pack will hunt you down if you kill me.”

Shepard couldn’t help but to smile. “I doubt they care what happens to anyone as weak as you. Besides, they don’t even know I’m alive!” The sound of her shotgun firing echoed through the chamber again, just before Jacob and Miranda appeared in front of her. “We all done here?”

“I just need to get the life support back online and distribute the cure,” Miranda replied as she walked up to the main control terminal. “If I could have the canister?”

Jane quickly tossed the cure over to the Cerberus agent. “Then we can get back to the Normandy knowing we’ve crossed two off our list,” she said quite smugly. “Not to mention cured a plague and killed a significant portion of the gang population on Omega.”

“We also rescued an idiotic Good Samaritan,” Jacob laughed.

“Done!” Miranda announced just before one of the overhead fans screeched into motion. “That should put the air system back into its previous state and distribute the cure to everyone in the district. Hopefully it will also reach anyone outside of the district that might have been infected once traffic opens back up.”

“Time to head back to the clinic then,” Jane said happily as she lead the way back towards the walkway off of the platform.

* * *

“Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done, Shepard. Thank you,” Mordin said gratefully as she stepped into his lab in the clinic.

“And thank you again from me,” Daniel said quietly from the corner. “Those batarians would have killed me for sure. For a second there I thought you were going to let them kill me.”

“They chose to attack a defenceless, unarmed man who was simply trying to help them. I don’t tend to give people like that second chances.”

“Sensible. Would have done the same myself,” Mordin agreed.

“Professor, you’re a doctor. You believe in helping people!” Daniel shouted, sounding shocked.

“Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients. Sometimes executing bad people. Either way helps,” the Professor replied calmly. “Go check on the patients, lots of work to do. Think about what I said.”

“Is everything taken care of then Doctor?” Shepard asked as Daniel left the lab.

“The ill should recover quickly. Only patients with complications to treat now. Letting Daniel take over the clinic. Good kid, bit naive. He’ll learn,” Mordin said happily. “Should be easy enough now that the vorcha are gone. Blue Suns will leave him alone. Leaving him the mechs just to be safe.”

“So this means you’re ready to leave?”

“Yes. Unexpected to be working with Cerberus. Many surprises. Just need to finish up here at the clinic. Won’t take long. Meet you at your ship. Looking forward to it.”

“We’re heading out. Meet you at the Normandy, bay three. It’s one of Aria’s private docks,” Jane nodded before walking out of the clinic without another word.

* * *

“Miranda, give me some credits!”

“No!”

“Just give me some credits!”

“No!”

“How am I meant to do anything if I don’t have any credits? Just give me a credit chit!”

“I’m not giving you my credits!” Miranda snapped.

“Oh, for the love of... Jacob, credits!” Shepard ordered as she turned on the other Cerberus agent.

He looked nervously between the two women now glaring at him. “Erm...”

“Credits, now!”

“Err, here?” he said quietly as he held out a rather large credit chit to the Commander.

“Finally,” Shepard sighed before turning around. “I’ll meet you both back at the ship in a bit.”

“Where are you going?” Miranda shouted after her sounding disgusted.

“To find our next team member!”


	32. A Favour for a Favour?

“Operative Lawson, you’re late,” the Illusive Man stated as the hologram materialized in front of Miranda. “Given Shepard’s reputation, I wasn’t expecting her to take so long to recruit Professor Solus.”

“She decided not to pursue Mordin Solus first. We went to recruit Archangel due to pre-existing circumstances,” Miranda explained. “It seems that his efforts proved enough to bring a considerably large force of mercenaries together to kill him.”

“I trust Shepard proved her value to us?” the Illusive Man asked with an eerily calm, cold demeanour.

“She did manage to reach him successfully, and lead the team to fight off the mercenaries attempting to kill him. Archangel was, however, injured.”

“That’s unfortunate. Do we need to forward you a replacement dossier?” He paused to light a cigarette after he finished his question.

“No. Doctor Chakwas has proven worth, and managed to stabilise and treat the turian. Her experience onboard the original Normandy was no doubt invaluable.”

“How long until he is combat ready?” the Illusive Man asked, slowly exhaling smoke.

“Several days, at best,” Miranda replied. “There is one other detail. Archangel is Garrus Vakarian.”

The Illusive Man paused half way through a drag on his cigarette, giving her a scrutinizing look. “The same one she worked with two years ago? Is this emotional attachment likely to reduce her objectivity? It’s essential that nothing distracts her from the objective.”

“He’s a turian. If any species can understand the necessity of a suicide mission, it’s the turians,” Miranda replied coldly. “If anything, they seem to have a rivalry that should improve her effectiveness.”

“Very well. I’ll allow the mission to continue. When do you expect her to recruit Professor Solus?”

“We already took care of it.”

The Illusive Man, once again, paused in shock half way through a drag on his cigarette. “She doesn’t waste time. No complications I trust?”

“Nothing we couldn’t deal with. We’re expecting the Professor onboard within the hour.”

“Then that just leave the mercenary on Omega.”

“Shepard’s already out looking for him, but I doubt she’ll have much luck tonight. EDI was unable to provide us with much information on our arrival.”

“I’ll have the intelligence division see what they can dig up on his current location or contract,” the Illusive Man offered as he stubbed out his cigarette. “Until then, keep looking. I’ll check in again once I have some information.”

“There is one more thing I wanted to ask, Sir,” Miranda said just before the Illusive Man could close the link. “Shepard has been expressing some... dissatisfaction with her current situation. Specifically, she _needs_ a credit allowance. At the very least, it will stop her taking ours.”

“I’ll set a small account up that she can draw from. It could prove an effective way to maintain her loyalty and keep her from objecting,” the Illusive Man theorized. “For now, focus on finding Massani, and then move on to whomever Shepard decides to recruit next.”

“Yes Sir,” Miranda replied as the holograms began to shut down. Seconds later, she was staring at the Cerberus logo on the back wall of the conference room.

* * *

“One of your strongest,” Shepard ordered the bartender as she parked herself on a stool. After leaving the others, Shepard had been wandering through Omega’s dark alleys. Eight bars and eight drinks down, she was still looking for any clue to the location of Zaeed, and was still managing to walk in a straight line. The turian bartender quickly served her drink with nothing more than a grunt, before charging the offered credit chit. “I’m looking for someone, Zaeed Massanni?”

The bartender shook his head, laughing as he left. The man that had just sat at the nearest table couldn’t help but to laugh. “You don’t usually hear about people trying to find bounty hunters. That’s usually the hunter’s job,” he grunted, barely loud enough to be heard over the noise of the crowded bar.

“Do you know him then?” Jane asked as she moved over to the table with her drink. She couldn’t help but pause when she saw the man’s face. Scars covered almost every inch of visible skin in addition to an artificial right eye.

“Bounty hunters aren’t exactly known for having a lot of friends,” the man replied. “The lone hunter and all of that.”

“Well, I’ll assume you’d know,” Shepard grunted as she checked over the man’s armour. The faded yellow and white paint was covered in dents and scratches and had clearly seen a lot of action. “Don’t suppose you guys keep track of each other?”

“If we wanted people watching our backs we’d be in a mercenary gang. Besides, this is a very easy part of the station to blend in with, unless you’re wearing brand new white armour.”

“It’s hardly shiny anymore,” Jane grumbled, holding up the blood stained arm of her armour around the vorcha bite mark. “So, what’s the best way to find him then?”

“Got a photo?”

“My... associates aren’t good with minor details like what someone looks like,” Shepard sighed.

“Then I suggest you do a little more research in the future,” the man grunted as the door to the small dingy bar opened. “Not a lot of point trying to hunt something when you don’t know what it looks like.” The man’s hand slid below the table before Shepard heard the muffled noise of a gun arming. “Same’s true when you’re trying to avoid a hunter.” A single batarian had stepped in when the door opened.

“Should I be ducking for cover?” Jane muttered without looking away from the man in front of her.

“Shouldn’t take more than a second,” he grunted before grabbing the batarian by the neck as he attempted to pass their table. “Good to see you again, jackass!”

The batarian gasped for air as fingers squeezed his airway.

“Should I leave you to it?” Shepard asked the bounty hunter sitting in front of her.

“Nah, this piece of shit won’t take me long,” he grunted, putting his pistol up to the batarian’s skull. “On your knees, hands up!” To Shepard’s surprise, no one around them seemed to care, or even notice, that the man sat opposite her had just pointed a gun at another’s head.

“Don’t kill me. Please,” the batarian begged before his head towards Shepard. “Please, help me.”

“Shut up!” the bounty hunter snapped, whacking the batarian in the skull with the butt of his pistol. “So, Commander Shepard,” he asked, his demeanour shifting to a considerably less friendly tone. “I believe you have a business proposition for me?”

“Zaeed?” Shepard asked, slightly puzzled. “You couldn’t have just said ‘hi’, or something?”

“Didn’t want you to alert this piece of shit who I am,” Zaeed growled as he hit the alien in the back. “And I got to judge you. Always know what you’re going after, Shepard. You can’t catch anyone until you know what they look like.”

“Well, blame Cerberus. You’d think a bunch of control freaks like them could handle a photo. I had even less information on Archangel,” Shepard groaned.

“The vigilante? Hear he’s a pretty decent shot,” Zaeed said sounding slightly impressed. “What did it take to get him onboard?”

“Err... He’s an old friend,” Shepard replied quietly.

“Win for you. I trust Cerberus told you about our deal?”

“No?” Jane replied. “I guess it slipped their mind.”

“Figures,” Zaeed snorted as his batarian prisoner tried to sprint to the door. He raised his pistol and fired a single shot into the back of one of the batarian’s knees, sending him crashing to the floor. Several people at the closest table in the direction Zaeed was shooting ducked for cover but no one else even flinched. “Shame this waste of time is only worth anything alive.”

“So, this deal?” Shepard asked over the batarian’s screams of pain.

“Right. I picked up this job a while ago. You heard the name Vido Santiago?” He paused as Shepard shook her head. “He’s the head of the Blue Suns. Runs the whole operation. Seems he recently took over an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya. Now he’s using the workers as slave labour. The company wants it dealt with,” Zaeed smirked as Shepard’s expression grew angrier.

“That sounds like something we can deal with,” Jane nodded before looking over the still moaning batarian on the floor. “So how long will it take you to finish up with him?”

“Give me an hour. I just need to go get my credits. I’m hoping he also knows something about the Blue Sun forces on Zorya. He used to smuggle weapons for them. Probably because he’s completely fucking worthless,” Zaeed shouted before kicking the batarian in the side. “Get up you clot.” His expression darkened when the batarian gave him a pleading look. “I told you to get up!” he shouted, raising his leg for another kick.

Shepard watched as the batarian quickly struggled to his feet and limped out the door at gunpoint. After finishing her drink, she followed suit out the door and turned in the general direction of Afterlife.

* * *

“Shepard. I can’t say I expected you to survive the mercenaries _and_ the quarantine zone,” Aria purred as she watched Jane walk up the steps towards her balcony overlooking the main floor of Afterlife.

“Really?” Jane asked, grinning as she sat down at the opposite end of the curved seat, facing the purple skinned asari.

“I suppose you should have a bit of a reputation for surviving anything now. Can I interest you in a drink?” Aria asked as she gestured over an asari that Shepard had assumed was just a dancer.

“Noverian Rum, if you’ve got it,” Shepard asked, looking a little uncertain as she glanced between Aria and the waiter.

The smile on Aria’s lips was unmissable as she turned back to the other asari. “I’ll have the same, and make them both doubles.” She watched as the waiter hurried off before turning back to Shepard. “So what can I do for you? I assume you came back because you wanted something.”

“Actually, I have something to give you,” Jane said smugly as she pulled the data pad Miranda had given her out of a pocket on her armour. “We found this with the mercenaries going after Ga-Archangel.” She quickly corrected herself, positive she didn’t want to trust Aria with Archangel’s identity.

“And... what’s on it?” Aria asked bluntly.

“Take a look,” Shepard teased as she threw the data pad into Aria’s unexpecting hands.

At first, Aria looked down at the pad. Her expression quickly turned to anger as she read the letter stored on it.

“I guess they were coming for you next,” Shepard said smugly, relaxing into the couch.

“Interesting,” Aria commented before looking towards the stairs and screaming “Anto!” A second later, her batarian bodyguard appeared at the top of the steps panting.

“Yes Aria?”

“How did _this_ slip the net?” she spat at the batarian. She threw the data pad at the batarian’s head for emphasis.

He caught the pad in a panic before looking at the information on the display. “I don’t know. I-I’ll look into it,” he stuttered, slowly backing away from Aria. Once he reached the top of the steps, the batarian turned tail and ran down them, away from his pissed off boss.

With only the two of them on the balcony again, Aria turned back to the Commander. “Thank you Shepard. It appears I owe you one.”

“It was just-” Jane started before Aria interrupted.

“I don’t like owing anyone!” the pirate queen snapped. “But... I think I have something that should make us even.” Shepard couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable under the look Aria was giving her. “I think this should do,” Aria said, grinning, as she opened up her omni-tool.

Shepard looked surprised as her omni-tool alerted her to a requested file transfer. She cautiously accepted it, finding the file encrypted. “I’m not going to regret this, am I?”

“I assure you, you’ll find it very... pleasing,” Aria said suggestively as the tap of heeled shoes echoed up the stairs.

The asari waiter reached the top of the stairs, looking terrified, and offered the tray with two drinks on it to Aria. The “Queen” took both, handing one to Shepard, before looking back to find the waiter leaving. “Wait,” Aria commanded, sending a look of pure terror across the paler asari’s face. Aria took a second to toss a credit chit onto the asari’s tray before finally waving her away.

“Are your staff always this scared of you?” Shepard asked as she took a sip of the rum in her glass.

“I try not to scare the club staff too much. Scared dancers aren’t good for business,” Aria explained before half emptying her glass. “So how much longer are you going to be on my station?”

“I think we’re about done here. I expect the crew might have some business to take care of before we leave, but I expect we’ll be gone tomorrow morning.”

“And you haven’t even taken the time to enjoy Afterlife’s hospitality,” Aria drawled as she grinned at the dancer nearest her balcony.

“I’m not on a pleasure cruise,” Jane replied without looking away from the contents of her glass. “I guess I’ll have to visit again at some point in the future.”

“Please do,” Aria said with a sultry grin as she watched the human drain their glass.

“Thanks for the drink,” Shepard thanked her as she handed the glass back. “I think that was better than the bottle I got on Noveria.”

“You just need to know the right people,” Aria commented as she watched Jane start to leave. “Goodbye, Spectre.”

Shepard made her way back through afterlife, pushing her way through the now dense crowd. She had thought the club was busy when they had arrived first thing that morning, but now that the station’s clocks said night, there was barely room to breathe. After several minutes of pushing her way through the sea of bodies, and getting uncomfortable close to more than a few, she finally reached the exit. The walkway in and out of the club was almost deserted, apart from a group of turians huddled by the door. Outside the club however, was a completely different story. One side of the street outside of the club was an endless line, all waiting, and hoping, to get in. Vendors were around the crowd, mostly selling food and drink to their captive patrons. Shepard moved through the bouncers covering the entrance, pushing between a batarian and an elcor, and headed straight for the Normandy.

Once on-board, she stepped into the CIC from the airlock to be met by a small crowd, including Miranda, Jacob and the newly recruited Mordin Solus.

“Ah, Commander,” Miranda greeted as she spotted Shepard. “We were just greeting the professor and welcoming him onboard.”

“Yes. Very exciting,” Mordin added as he turned around to face Shepard. “Cerberus working with aliens. Unexpected. Illusive Man branching out, maybe? Not so human centric?”

“You’re very well informed,” Miranda stated coldly

“Salarian government well connected. Espionage experts,” Mordin explained. “Had top level clearance once. Retired now. Still hear things. Informed of name only. No knowledge of man behind it.  Anti-alien reputation listed as... problematic.”

“Well, don’t believe it for a second,” Shepard replied dismissively. “There’s only two things the Illusive man cares about. Humanity and getting the job done. For this mission however, he needs outside help.”

“The collectors are abducting human colonies out on the fringes of the Terminus Systems. No distress signals are sent out. No signs of attack. There’s virtually no evidence that anything odd happened at all... except every man, woman, and child is gone,” Jacob explained.

“Gas, maybe? No, spreads too slowly,” Mordin theorized as he started pacing. “Airborne virus? No, moves slower than gas. Drugged water supply? No-”

“You don’t have to sit there and guess,” Shepard intervened. “We visited one of the colonies. We have samples, readings and video footage from there. I’d like you to analyse them, figure out how the collectors did this, and develop some form of a defence.”

“Yes. Of course, analyse the samples,” Mordin concluded, sounding incredibly excited. He paused however after taking one step into the ship and turned back to Shepard. “Going to need a lab.”

“There is a fully equipped lab on the starboard side of the combat deck, Professor Solus. If you find anything lacking, please place a requisition order,” EDI said helpfully over the ship’s speakers.

“Who’s that? Pilot?” Mordin asked in surprise, looking up for the source of the voice. “No, synthetic voice. Simulated emotional inflections. Could it be... no. Maybe. Have to ask. Is that an AI?” He stared questioningly at Shepard.

“This ship _is_ equipped with an artificial intelligence,” Jane replied calmly.

“And AI onboard. Non-human crew members. Cerberus more desperate than I thought.”

“The Collectors have taken tens of thousands of colonists. We’ll do whatever we have to do to find and stop them,” Jacob stated adamantly.

“Yes. Of course. Can’t risk being captured like colonists. Need to identify and neutralize technology. Need samples. Which way to lab?” Mordin directed his last words towards the source of the AI’s voice.

“The lab is accessible via the hatch at the rear starboard side of the CIC,” EDI replied.

“Follow me Professor,” Miranda added before leading the salarian along the deck.

“He really never shuts up,” Jane mumbled to Jacob as soon as she was certain Mordin was out of earshot. “This could be a long mission.”

“From his reputation, and salarians in general, I don’t expect him to spend more time than necessary outside of the lab. They’re known for being rather single minded,” Jacob replied.

“Can’t say I’ve ever worked with one, but he seemed to do well on Omega. Seems capable enough,” Jane noted. “Zaeed should be here in an hour or so. Be sure to greet him when he gets here.”

“You found him already?”

“Just had to look in enough shitty bars,” Jane shrugged. “I’m going to head down to the mess, then hit the sack. I need to get some goddamn sleep,” she stated before walking off towards the elevator, leaving Jacob standing by the airlock.

“Remember to eat a few hundred extra calories,” Jacob shouted after her. “You’re burning up a lot with your biotics.”

Shepard had almost made it into the elevator when a voice from just behind her called “Commander.” She let out an exasperated sigh before turning towards the source of the call. “What can I do for you, Ms Chambers?”

“Please, call me Kelly,” the Yeoman reiterated. “I’ve got a message marked urgent from the engineering staff. They’re requesting permission to make some purchases in Omega’s markets.”

“Permission granted,” Jane sighed, “but, tomorrow morning, first thing. I don’t want any of the ship’s crew on that station at night, or on their own. Teams of two, minimum.” Without giving Kelly a chance to answer, she stepped into the elevator car and closed the doors before selecting the floor below.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she reached the mess hall, spotting an almost empty casserole dish on a serving table, presumably prepared by whoever was serving as the ship’s cook. She quickly emptied the pot into a bowl, grabbed several slabs of bread, and moved over to collapse into a chair at one of the table. Unsurprisingly, given that it was rapidly approaching midnight, the entire deck appeared to be deserted.

She quickly devoured her meal and got up to leave, but not before the med bay doors slid open. She waited a moment, expecting to see Doctor Chakwas leaving for the night, but to her surprise Garrus was walking out of the open doorway.

“Shepard?” the turian asked in a weak voice. “It’s really you then?”

“In the flesh,” Jane said, grinning as she walked towards the turian. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been about you.” She couldn’t help but smile when the turian started laughing, before wincing in pain.

“You’ve been dead for two years, and you were worrying about me?”

“I think I’m allowed to. I did pull your ass out of that mess you got yourself into,” Shepard laughed, just before catching the turian off guard by embracing him in a hug. “It’s good to see you again Garrus, even if you probably shouldn’t be walking yet.”

“Well, no one would give me a mirror. I got the rundown of the cybernetics they implanted, the technical name of the surgery, but no opinions,” Garrus shrugged. “So, honestly, how does it look?” the turian asked with a flap of his mandibles as the two of them separated.

“Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly.” Shepard grinned, watching as Garrus attempted to keep a straight face. “Slap a bit of face paint on there and no one will even notice.”

Garrus winced in pain as he burst out in laughter. “Damn it, Shepard. My face is barely holding together as it is.” The turian’s mandibles flapped in amusement as he managed to stop laughing. “Some women find facial scars attractive.” He paused to watch as Shepard frowned before shaking her head. “Mind you, most of those women are krogan...”

“Ever met one?”

“Err... no. And I’m not sure it’s ever a good idea if they’re anything like the males.”

“You had me worried for a moment,” Shepard chuckled while Garrus glanced around the crew deck.

“Frankly, Shepard, I’m more worried about you. I’ve heard a lot of bad things about Cerberus these last few years,” Garrus stated, suddenly sounding genuinely concerned.

“I didn’t exactly get a lot of choice. I woke up in a medical lab after being rebuilt for two years before they stuck a crisis under my nose that I couldn’t possibly refuse,” Jane complained. “Besides, that’s why I’m glad to have you back. If I’m making a deal with the devil and walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my back.”

“You realize this plan has me walking into hell too?” Garrus chuckled. “Just like old times! I’m fit for duty whenever you need me, just let me know. I’ll settle in at the main batteries. See what Cerberus has done with the Normandy.”

“No you don’t,” Shepard stated, putting her arm out to block the turian’s way. “That way, back to bed,” she ordered, pointing back into the med bay. “We’re not doing any ground missions for a few days, and you need to rest.”

“The word _hypocrisy_ is springing to mind,” Garrus laughed, watching as Shepard’s expression gradually became sterner. “Fine, bed it is,” he sighed in defeat. “See you tomorrow Shepard.”

“Goodnight,” Shepard wished him just before the door closed behind the turian.

Relieved that her friend was in good health and spirits, Shepard turned towards the elevator and proceeded to her quarters. Breathing a sigh of relief, she began removing the plates of her armour as soon as the door closed behind her, discarding them onto the floor. With the armour removed, she pulled off her compression suit before collapsing onto the large bed, trying to let exhaustion take over.

Sleep however continued to elude her. After what felt like hours of tossing and turning on the mattress, Shepard finally sat up in frustration and walked over to the small office space. She sat in front of the terminal and opened a new message, before staring at the blank screen. Who should she write to first? Who should she tell she was alive? How could she even begin to explain any of it?

Having previously found every means she had of contacting Liara to be cut off, one name kept floating to the top of the pile. “Mum”. Shepard started typing her mother’s military ID into the recipient box, still with no idea of what she was going to write, when her omni-tool sounded an alert. A holographic window popped up over her arm, informing her that the encrypted file Aria had given her had decrypted itself.

Jane tilted the screen to look out of curiosity, and caught her breath as she spotted the file name. Where there had previously been a series of alien characters it now read, in English, ‘The Portrait’. With a shaking hand, she selected the option to open the file.

* * *

“Commander Shepard, should I inform the ship’s medical crew that you are experiencing a seizure?” EDI asked over the speakers in Jane’s cabin.

“What? No, EDI, I’m fine,” Jane replied as she tried to tear her eyes away from the bright image on the screen.

“You have barely moved a muscle in the last five minutes, and you are not sleeping. According to my definitions, this can constitute a seizure.”

“Not if I’m responding and talking, EDI. I was just… shocked.”

“Very well, Commander. I shall inform the medical team that you are in shock,” the AI replied calmly.

Shepard let out a frustrated groan. “No, I was just surprised. Sometimes humans just don’t know how to react to something, so we just don’t react.”

“Like a computer glitch freezing software?” EDI inquired.

“Something like that,” Jane mumbled in response as her eyes drifted back to the image hovering above her arm. With the destruction of the Normandy, Shepard had believed the portrait she had painted of Liara destroyed. She had never wished to create a copy, wanting the piece to be as unique as the subject. Yet there she sat, staring at a digital copy, suspended in mid air. There was only one person that could have made a copy, yet this file had somehow come into Aria T’loak’s possession.

“EDI, is there anywhere in this cabin capable of displaying a large picture?” Jane asked the AI.

“While the cabin was designed and decorated to your tastes and needs, this was never anticipated. A small photo frame was however provided with your desk,” EDI replied.

Jane glanced over at the small frame before knocking it over. “Not quite what I had in mind,” Shepard sighed as she slowly rose to her feet.

Without looking away from the image on her omni-tool, she moved back over to her bed and placed the small device on the bedside table and slid beneath the covers. Smiling happily, she wrapped herself in the sheets. Feeling the relief of rest, she never moved her eyes away from the image of Liara as she lay there until they finally slid shut as she drifted off to sleep.

 


	33. Damaged Goods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a serious warning on this chapter, for scenes of self harm at the end. For anyone that wants to read the chapter, but risks being triggered, stop reading at the line "Beats the food on the first Normandy."  
> Warnings will be attached to the next chapter.

Shepard leapt up from the mattress. A scream had pulled her brutally from her sleep. She blinked, looking around the dark room as the lights began to slowly rise. It took her several seconds to realize she was the one that had screamed. Groaning as the adrenaline rush began to wear off, Shepard slid off the bed onto aching legs. Stretching as she went, Jane went directly for the shower, smiling as she spotted the image of Liara still displayed on her omni-tool.

Ten minutes later, Jane emerged from the shower wrapped in a towel. “EDI, what time is it?”

“It is four A.M. earth standard time,” EDI replied.

Shepard paused, staring up at the ceiling. “How long was I asleep?”

“Approximately one hour - fifty minutes.”

“This is ridiculous,” Shepard groaned as she sat on the foot of her bed and clutched her head. “Just one good night’s sleep.” Annoyed, Shepard started pulling clothes out of the drawers beside her bed. “Is anyone else onboard awake?”

“There is a light engineering team monitoring the drive core, three members of the night shift are maintaining the CIC and Professor Solus is working in his lab.”

“Thanks EDI,” Jane replied, pulling on a shirt and trousers before walking out of her quarters.

Several minutes later, Shepard stepped into the ship’s lab, noting how the rest of the ship appeared to be just as sterile. “Good morning, Mordin.”

“Commander,” the salarian replied with a friendly tone as he looked up from a stack of sterilized glassware. “Good morning. Surprised to see you up so early. Not slept yet? No, clearly just woken up. Short sleep cycle? No, humans need-”

“I just couldn’t sleep,” Jane stated, cutting Mordin off. “I died two years ago, and spent most of the time since in a coma. Something won’t let me rest since.”

“Possible psychological trauma. Suggest taking a-”

“I really didn’t come down here to talk about this!” Shepard snapped. She took a deep breath to calm herself again. “Sorry, I’m just a bit on edge. How are you settling in? That is, if you’ve got time to talk?”

“Of course. Plague on Omega dealt with. Plenty of time to analyse collector samples,” Mordin replied, not sounding even remotely put off by Shepard snapping. “Impressive laboratory setup. Missed working for operations with a budget. AI in particular very helpful. Best setup I’ve seen since work with Special Tasks Group.”

“Any word from your assistant since you left?”

“District settling down. Vorcha are in retreat with the plague gone and their numbers diminished. Still, left him the mechs, just in case. Can’t be too careful. Also tired of mechs. Noisy. Never used them in STG,” Mordin explained as he began wiping down the lab’s surfaces.

“It must have been... frustrating working on Omega with such limited resources?”

“No, loved it!” Professor Solus exclaimed. “Limited facilities presents challenge. Save greatest number of people using limited resources. Security threats, gangs, mercenary groups add additional difficulty. Quite enjoyable. Plague stretched abilities to the limit. Couldn’t have asked for more.”

Shepard crossed her arms in protest. “You make it sound like nothing more than a game.”

“Also enjoy saving people, of course.” Mordin replied, appearing slightly offended. “Helping the helpless. Greater good. All that, too. Nice retirement after STG work complete.”

“Anything you can tell about the Special Tasks Group?” Shepard queried.

“Respected organization. Clandestine. Handles difficult assignments with limited oversight. Recon, analysis, occasional wet-work. Identify problems. Have neutralization options ready should the need arise. Model for Council Spectres based on special tasks group. Very similar,” Mordin said happily as he began organizing the sterile flasks on the newly clean counter.

“How so?”

“Agents trusted, given wide operating freedom. Spectres similar. Given goal and told to accomplish,” Mordin shrugged.

“So what sort of thing did you do for them, medical research?” Jane asked with a curious look in her eyes.

“Not simply research. Several recon missions. Covert, high-risk. Served under a young captain named Kirrahe. Studied krogan genophage. Took water, tissue samples from krogan colonies.”

“I worked with a Kirrahe while I was fighting to stop Saren. He discovered and helped destroy Saren’s cloning facility on Virmire,” Jane exclaimed. “Same guy?”

“I heard he was a part of that. Jury-rigged explosive,” Mordin said sounding impressed. “Always got job done with limited resources. Good captain. Bit of an eccentric though. Loved his speeches. _Hold the line!_ Personally prefer to get job done and go home. Probably military bravado. Chest pounding.” He paused as Shepard crossed her arms. “No offence.”

Shepard couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Why would STG study the genophage?”

“Krogan rebellions bloody,” Mordin replied, sounding far more sombre, pausing as he reached for a beaker. “Nearly as bad as rachni attacks. All species adapt, evolve, mutate. If genophage weakens, need to be prepared.”

“Prepared to do what?” Jane asked, staring directly into Mordin’s large emotionless black eyes.

“Military schematics for likely krogan population growth. Political scenarios for attack points. Genophage reduced population numbers. Species aggression unchecked. Population explosion would be disastrous. STG helped check krogan rebellions. Needed to be ready to do the same. Simple recon. Nothing to be worried about.”

“So what is the genophage exactly? I always hear krogan talking about it, but they aren’t exactly great with details.”

“Bio-weapon designed by salarian science team. Deployed by turians against krogan to end Krogan Rebellions more than a thousand years ago. Affects every cell of krogan body. Commonly, and incorrectly, called a sterility plague. Actually adjusts viable fertility rates to compensate for high krogan birth rate. Stabilizes to pre-industrial population growth levels,” the salarian explained, sounding almost proud. “Should get back to work,” Mordin said abruptly. “Here if you need me.”

“Thanks for the talk, Mordin,” Jane said sounding confused, but managing to maintain a friendly tone as she moved towards the lab’s exit into the CIC.

_There is no way you were just doing recon,_ Jane thought to herself as she emerged into the almost deserted CIC.

“Commander Shepard?”

Jane rushed around on the spot as an unexpected voice called out from just behind her. A fist already raised to defend herself, she found herself staring at the door she had just walked through closing behind her. “EDI?! Don’t do that, you made me jump.”

“I apologize for startling you, Commander. It was not my intention,” the AI replied. “I was merely using the closest available speaker.”

“It’s okay EDI. Just try to use speakers somewhere in front of me in the future,” Shepard sighed. “So what can I do for you?”

“Agent Lawson has requested that you join her in the port side cargo bay.”

“Tell her I’ll be straight there,” Jane replied as she stepped into the ship’s elevator.

“So what have you got planned for today then?” Jane sighed several minutes later when the door into the cargo bay opened for her.

“I thought we could do something a little different this time. Since meditation proved to be more frustrating for you rather than useful, I thought we’d try something more physical,” Miranda explained as she floated a ball up from the floor into her hands. “There is a small amount of Eezo in this, specifically designed to make manipulating it easier.

“So it’s a ball full of Eezo,” Jane quipped.

“It has proven to be a valuable tool at Grissom Academy. Apparently it’s based on some sort of toy asari children play with.”

“Probably a ball full of Eezo,” Jane mocked again. “So what do I do?”

“Just try to move the ball,” Miranda stated as she placed it back on the floor. “ _Without_ touching it,” she added once Jane started moving towards it.

“But it’s practically screaming to be kicked!” Shepard complained for a second until it became apparent Miranda wasn’t in the mood for games. “So, what? Just wave my hands and hope it’ll move?”

“Picture the ball moving. Most biotics use physical motions to help guide them, but they aren’t essential. They’re just used to focus,” Miranda explained calmly.

Looking slightly frustrated already, Shepard sighed and moved her arm, as if to push something away. “This is pointless!”

“Most people feel like this when they first get confronted with their biotics. They feel like they’re being asked to perform magic. It defies human logic,” Miranda offered, trying to calm Shepard. “Just focus on manipulating one of the forces around the ball.”

“The impossible I can do, but this is just frustrating,” Jane sighed. The two of them stood there, staring at the ball for close to an hour. Shepard continued to try various motions and thoughts in combination to move the ball, but it refused to budge. She did manage several bursts of biotic energy along her arms, but with no visible effect on her target. “I just feel like an idiot!” She eventually screamed. Her arm movements had become erratic with no further progress.

“I saw far worse while I was training with my biotics,” Miranda shrugged.

“Great. Thanks Miranda!” Shepard snapped. “It’s reassuring to know that I’m not the worst biotic ever! It’s not like any of them are being depended on to save the fucking galaxy!” Her foot collided with the ball on the floor as she screamed at Miranda. She barely scraped the ball with the sole of her boot, but it shot up as it was engulfed in red biotic energy.

Miranda sighed initially as she saw Shepard move to kick the ball towards her. As soon as it lit up with biotics however, she threw her arms and a barrier up to protect herself. “Should I take that as progress, or should I walk out of here because you attacked me?” the Cerberus agent asked coldly as she tried to regain her stoicism and crossed her arms in front of her.

“I didn’t... I wasn’t...” Shepard blundered before spotting a small smile creeping in at the corner of Miranda’s mouth. “Progress, and I’ll promise not to kick anything else at you. At least while we’re training.”

“I think we need to renegotiate that last part,” Miranda answered, managing a small laugh, “but let’s focus on this for now. Try that again, but this time aim for the wall,” she suggested, rolling the ball back into place with her biotics.

Shepard grinned as she kicked the ball. Her whole body slumping as she failed to use her biotics, sending it rolling along the floor. Miranda instantly began offering advice and instruction, which Shepard ignored as she watched the ball roll back towards her. In one fluid motion, the ball leapt up into one of her hands and launched forwards at the wall aglow with red light. It impacted dead centre and returned back along its trajectory, unaffected by gravity. Before it reached her, Shepard spun, raising a leg to kick it in midair. To her surprise, her foot never made contact, yet the ball veered off towards the wall beside her and started bouncing off each side of the room. “I might look like an idiot, but I think I’ve cracked it!” Jane exclaimed, grinning ear to ear as she allowed the ball to fall to the floor, stopping it with her foot.

“Not bad. You’ve certainly got some power,” Miranda admitted whilst pointing to a round indent the ball had left in the wall behind her.

“So when do I get to start learning some of the basic attacks?” Jane asked eagerly. “Throws, warps, singularities, that sort of thing?”

Miranda frowned at her. “You’re jumping the gun a bit. You still don’t have the control needed for those things. Biotics in combat take precision, not to mention the ability to move objects that aren’t laced with Eezo.” She paused a moment, picking the ball up from the floor as she thought about how to proceed. Shepard’s progress in the short period of time had exceeded her expectation, and planned activities.

“So... what next?”

“Okay, I’m setting you homework,” Miranda replied, taking a small amount of happiness in the shocked look that passed over Shepard’s expression for a second. “Once you can manage to make the ball hover perfectly still in mid air, and run in a perfect circle around you on the floor, we’ll see about working with ordinary objects. Once you’ve mastered that, we can begin to think about attacks. First, I recommend you eat some breakfast. You’ve used a lot of energy already this morning.”

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Shepard agreed, stretching as she moved towards the exit. “I’ll see you later Miranda.”

“Shepard,” the Cerberus agent called after her just before she stepped through the door. “You forgot your homework.” Miranda grinned as she threw the ball into Shepard’s chest, making the commander look slightly berated as she left.

* * *

Garrus grunted in pain as he sealed the last clasp on his armour. His face still felt as though one side of it was ablaze. Moving his head to see anything just seemed to make it worse. “Are you sure you can’t put me on some strong pain killers?”

“I don’t have anything stronger here for turian apart from anaesthetic,” Doctor Chakwas replied with a sour look. “I do wish you’d take my recommendation and stay another day while it heals. You’re as bad as Shepard!”

“I’m not trying to go and start shooting at more mercenaries just yet. I just want to go and sit down to have breakfast and take a walk around the ship. I’ve spent enough time cooped up recently, and that was with a few hundred guns pointed at me.”

“Fine,” Doctor Chakwas conceded in defeat. “Just be careful. I’m not sure the ship’s cook knows the difference between dextro and levo.”

“Then I’ll just have to write them a grocery list and send him into Omega,” Garrus chuckled as he stood up.

“Just be careful,” the doctor sighed as Garrus walked out into the ship’s mess hall.

The turian stepped into the communal area. Two large tables filled the available floor space, with a small kitchenette, doubling as a serving counter, crammed in on the opposite side to him. One table was already surrounded by members of the ship’s crew, all talking and laughing as they ate and prepared for their shifts. The second table was only occupied by two people, each sitting as far apart as possible. The dark haired woman, Miranda, that had been there during Shepard’s rescue of him was sat facing him as she read something on a datapad and half eating  the meal in front of her. The second was sat with their back to him, picking an incredibly unappetizing bowl of what was presumably food. Normally Garrus wouldn’t have even tried to guess who a human was from behind, and that was before he noticed the small strip of light emanating from the back of this human’s neck. In this case however, the fiery red colour of her hair was unmistakable, even if it did look like it had been shaven down to the scalp incredibly recently. “Shepard?” he asked as he walked over. He felt his heart pause as the Commander turned to look at him. Despite having seen her the day before, her appearance shocked him to the core. Fully armoured, the lights that covered her face and neck were hardly noticeable. Without it, every single one of them was on prominent display.

“Garrus, you look better today,” Shepard replied coldly. “There’s a bowl of some sort of turian food out for you, but if it’s anything like the porridge, I wouldn’t eat it,” Jane commented as she stood her spoon upright in her bowl and watched it stand there.

“Doctor Chakwas already warned me about the cook,” Garrus laughed as he sat himself down opposite the commander.

The two of them then continued to sit in silence as Shepard continued to stare at her spoon, while Garrus studied every visible change he could see on her face. Eventually, Shepard looked up at him with a heavy sigh. “I’m told these have something to do with enhancing my eyesight,” she murmured quietly, pointing at two strips of light on her eye sockets.

“I wasn’t going to-”

“Now I’m starting to notice that everything seems to have a silver shimmer to it. Can’t decide if that’s a good thing.”

“Erm... is it meant to be there?” Garrus asked sounding incredibly confused.

“Miranda says it’s to be expected,” Jane answered pointing over to the second woman with the handle of her spoon after picking it out from her bowl. “I ‘shouldn’t worry’.”

“Okay, so-”

“I’m sure you noticed the back of my neck?” Jane paused as she waited for Garrus to nod. “That’s a combination of me dying, crashing into a planet from orbit and having Cerberus slice me open and turn me into a biotic.”

“Shepard, are you okay?” Garrus asked, concern growing in his voice.

“I’ll see you soon Garrus,” Shepard replied, abruptly getting up from the table leaving her still full bowl sat on the table.

Without another word, a ball jumped up into her hands with a flash of red light, and Shepard walked out of the mess hall, leaving Garrus stunned and confused. “Is she always like that now?” Garrus eventually asked the Cerberus agent sitting at the table. All he got was a shrug in response. “How about the dextro food? Is it safe?”

“Even before we knew your identity, we were expecting a turian. I assure you, the food is perfectly safe for you,” Miranda replied before picking up her data pad and walking towards the other table full of crew members. After an incredibly brief discussion, she then walked out of the mess.

“So much for old times,” Garrus sighed before retrieving a portion of the dextro breakfast that had been prepared. Reluctantly he tried a first bite.

_Beats the food on the first Normandy_.

* * *

“Shepard, I do wish you would allow me to call the doctor.” EDI’s synthesized voice filled the small bathroom with a note of concern.

“I told you EDI, I’m fine,” Shepard snapped back before hissing in pain. “And before you decide to call someone anyway, you said you couldn’t disobey an order!”

“It is against my programming, however there is no hard block preventing me.”

“Well I told you to not to!” Jane shouted before screaming out in pain, her head jerked back and slammed against the cold wall of her shower. She tightened her grip on the small metal tool in her hand before letting out another howl. Shriek of pain continued to fill the room until, eventually, Shepard slumped forwards gasping for breath. Panting, she looked up at the ceiling and the source of EDI’s voice. “ _Now_ you may call her, EDI.”

Several minutes later, Doctor Chakwas cautiously stepped into the Commander’s quarters. EDI had been incredibly vague upon requesting she immediately act to treat Shepard, since she apparently didn’t have any cameras in the ship’s bathrooms. Nothing EDI could have said however would have prepared her for the sight in front of her when she opened the door into the small en suite. A single occupant sat slumped on the floor of the shower, water washing over her as the occasional gleeful laugh filled the small space. The water flowing over the commander towards the drain ran red with blood.

“My God! Shepard?! Are you okay?” Doctor Chakwas gasped as she looked down at the shivering, fragile form of her commander. “What happened?”

“Hey Doc. Thanks for coming,” Shepard greeted her, along with a small giggle.

“Shepard, what happened to you?”

“I died Doc,” Jane answered bluntly before a short chuckle of laughter escaped her. Still staring at the floor she began gently rocking herself.

“No, Shepard, what happened now? How did you get here?”

“They wouldn’t go away.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Chakwas asked, kneeling as she slowly moved closer to Shepard on the wet floor.

Jane let out a short mocking laugh. “No one.”

“Shepard, you’re not making any sense.” Chakwas stated as she gently placed a hand on the Commander’s shoulder.

Jane lifted her head to look up at the senior offering her a comforting touch. The doctor couldn’t stop a startled gasp from escaping her throat and snapped her hand back to cover her mouth in surprise. Blood was continuing to seep from large, deep wounds around each of Shepard’s eyes. It flowed down over both of Shepard’s eyes and down her cheeks, covering her face in a thick, bright red river as the water from the shower aided its flow.

“Shepard, can you see anything?”

The marine vigorously shook her head, grinning up at Chakwas like a child. “I made them stop.”

“Made what stop? Your eyes?”

Shepard’s only response was to raise and hold out a trembling arm, her fist clutched tightly around an object. Both curious and afraid of what Shepard was going to give her, Chakwas cupped Shepard’s hand until the fist released a small tangle of metal and silicate into her palms, part of which appeared to be flickering with red light.

“Your implants! Shepard!”

 


	34. Ghost

Shepard lifted her head slowly. Voices were shouting in the distance.

“Necessary?! You think these were necessary?!”

She could easily recognize the angry tone as Doctor Chakwas’ voice as they seemed to be getting closer.

“Where exactly did you study medical ethics?”

“Humanity needs her at-”

Miranda’s Australian accent cut into the conversation before being promptly being drowned out by her senior’s.

“I don’t care about the rest of humanity right now. In this sick bay Shepard is _my_ patient, and what _I_ say is law within these walls. I will not have _you_ or any other member of Cerberus telling me what is and isn’t necessary for my patients. _Do I make myself clear?_ ”

Shepard smiled to herself as she pictured the scolding glare Chakwas was giving Miranda. Having repeatedly been on the receiving end of it, she knew Miranda had to be shaking in her tight thigh high boots.

“Crystal,” came the reluctant reply.

“Now, get me the schematics I asked for,” Chakwas ordered.

Shepard smiled to herself and waited until she heard to door to the sick bay open and close again, taking the tap of Miranda’s heels with it before she started to push herself into a sitting position. Jane finally tried to open her eyes as she lifted her head, but the world around her remained in complete darkness. Panicking, she pulled her arms up from beneath the covers and moved her hands to her head, finding a thick bandage wrapped over her eyes.

“Calm down Shepard,” a voice soothed as two hands gently pulled her arms away from her head.

“What’s happening?” Jane asked as she let her hands be manoeuvred back towards the bedding.

“Well, about ten hours ago I got an urgent message from EDI that I was required in your bathroom. I got there to find you sitting in a puddle of your own blood after gouging the optical implants off of your eye sockets. You used the handle of a spoon of all things!” Chakwas snapped. “What could possibly have possessed you to think that was a good idea?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” Jane mumbled.

“You’re lucky you didn’t cause any serious nerve damage! I’m worried Shepard. This kind of break isn’t like you,” the doctor queried as Shepard felt a cool, reassuring hand on the back of her own. “What do you remember?”

“Not a lot to be honest,” Shepard shrugged. “I was... scared. Ever since I woke up in that lab I haven’t quite felt like... me. I’ve been told I died, but I don’t remember it, and I keep questioning if anything is real or the truth. For all know, I’m a copy that Cerberus created to discredit the real Commander Shepard.” She felt her eyes begin to well up as emotions she had buried and tried to ignore flooded to the surface. The wounds beneath her bandages began to sting as she sobbed, “I don’t even know if Liara could recognise me. I haven’t been able to contact her. Does she even... after two years?”

“You’re still you. No matter how many implants and scars you get Liara _will_ know you’re you. And it may have been two years, but she’s an Asari. That’s the equivalent of about two months of our lifespan,” Chakwas soothed before forcing a change of topic. “How well have you been sleeping?”

“I think I’ve had about eight hours…”

“That’s good for you. You never got more than six while we were after Saren.”

“Since I woke up on Lazarus station.”

“That’s more than a week ago!” Chakwas exclaimed, her voice filling with worry and concern once again. “Shepard, no wonder you always look tired. You can’t possibly keep going like this, and running into combat!”

“And I’m having nightmares every time I close my eyes. I wake up screaming and I don’t remember why or what I was dreaming about.”

“Why didn’t you come straight to me about this?” the medical officer asked as she gave her patient’s handle a gentle squeeze.

“I don’t know. At first you weren’t there. I just had Miranda to deal with all of the time. Then, you appeared, and Joker, and I just thought everything would be okay. That things would go back to the way they were, but they’re not. Even with Garrus here. I’m just not me. I can’t be the same person I was.”

“And trying to gouge out your eyes helped how exactly?” Chakwas asked, starting to sound slightly amused.

“Good idea at the time,” Shepard repeated before she let out a snort of laughter.

“We all do some crazy things, but you’re going to need some help Shepard. There’s a councillor on the ship. You should speak with her about this,” Chakwas urged.

“I am _not_ speaking to some Cerberus lapdog about this,” Jane snapped. “I don’t trust her, and I’m not going to start spilling out everything that’s wrong with me so that the Illusive Man can read her notes. No!”

“I’m afraid I can only offer you something to help manage the symptoms then. It all sounds like you’re suffering from PTSD. It’s psychological Shepard. The drugs I can give you can help prevent any more episodes from occurring, but I can’t do much to help with your sleep deprivation. With your fast metabolism I’d have to give you enough tablets to drop a krogan. Sooner or later you need to face what’s causing this. Your death. Drugs cannot be a permanent solution to this.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jane mumbled quietly, more to herself than the doctor next to her. “So when can I get these bandages off?” She pointed up towards her covered eyes.

“I’m afraid that’s some bad news. The implants were doing more than simply enhancing your vision. They were also responsible for aiding a damaged section of your optic nerve. While it will eventually be repaired by the nanites in your blood stream, that will still take months.”

“So I’m... blind? I can’t see anything?” Jane asked. She forced herself to remain calm, but couldn’t keep a small waver from appearing in her voice.

“No, you can see, but your vision is impaired. You would probably be able to see light and dark shapes if I took your bandages off now, but I think there is an alternative,” Chakwas responded, her voice gradually filling with a happier tone. “I did some research into the data from the Lazarus project that I was supplied with. Originally they only planned to restore your vision, not enhance it. The schematics for the alternative chip should be complete and in Miranda’s files. The only thing they didn’t do was manufacture them.”

“You’re going to stick another chip in me to do exactly the same thing the last one did?” Shepard sighed, sounding incredibly unenthused about the idea.

“No. We’re going to use a chip designed only to aid your optic nerve in function and promote its recovery. Eventually the chip will become redundant. I just need Miranda to provide me with the schematics.”

“And then you slice me back open to attach the new chip?”

“To be honest, I want to spend as little time poking around your nervous system as possible. Quite frankly, it’s a mess. Miranda says your nanites are able to maintain, repair and even build your implants should the need arise, but it’ll take them several days. She’s not happy with the idea because it’s going to slow the work they are doing on your spine, but it’s the safest option.”

“Doesn’t sound like I really have much of a choice if I want to be able to see again, but thanks Doc... it sounds great,” Shepard said with a small smile. “No more silvery aura?”

“Garrus mentioned something about that. No, no more alterations to your vision,” the doctor replied reassuringly with a gentle pat of Shepard’s hand.

“Garrus,” Shepard groaned. “What does he... what does the crew know?”

“To Miranda’s disgust, the official line on the ship is that one of your implants malfunctioned. Since she isn’t willing to pretend that it’s her failure, the cause is listed as damage from your combat time yesterday. The crew doesn’t know a thing. As for Garrus, I’m letting you decide what you want to tell him.”

“The truth,” Shepard sighed. “All of it. I can’t expect him to watch my back if I can’t trust him. Besides, this can’t be as embarrassing as everything that happened while I was in denial about Liara back on the SR-1,” Shepard replied, laughing to herself and shaking her head in disbelief as she finished.

“Would you like me to get him?  I believe he spent most of the day tinkering with the ship’s guns.”

“What time is it?!”

“About nine pm by the ship’s clock.”

“Well there goes the day,” Jane sighed. “Please tell me we’re on route to the Citadel?”

“We launched this morning. I believe Agent Lawson knew that was your intended destination and saw to it that we would arrive there on time. I get the impression that your achievements yesterday made an impression on her.”

“Good to know something gets through that cold exterior,” Jane laughed before she heard the door to the medical bay opened. To her relief, she didn’t hear the tapping of Miranda’s heeled boots walking into the room.

“Agent Lawson asked me to bring you this,” the sickeningly cheery voice of Shepard’s Yeoman called out.

“Thank you Kelly,” Doctor Chakwas replied. Her voice became fainter as she turned away from Shepard. “That’s... very kind of you.”

“I was glad to help,” the younger voice chirped. “How is the Commander?”

“Awake,” Jane snapped before the Doctor could reply. “And hopefully on the mend if Miranda sent you with what I think she did.”

“Err... Sorry Commander,” Kelly mumbled quietly.

“It is, Shepard,” Chakwas answered as her omni-tool chimed. “With a little help from Miranda, I should have everything ready to go in about an hour. I’ll go get started.”

“If you want, Shepard, we could talk for a bit?” the psychologist offered.

“Actually I’d like to make a call.” Jane reached for her left wrist, finding her wrist bare. “Could you pass me my Omni-tool please Doc?”

“Sure thing Shepard,” Chakwas replied seconds before an object landed in her lap. “Can you use it okay?”

“I should be fine,” she replied as she secured the device around her wrist.

“We’ll give you some privacy then,” Doctor Chakwas stated, before two pairs of forced footsteps left the room.

Jane waited for the door to close after them before she began manipulating the device’s interface. With several swift motions of her fingers she brought up the desired contact on the display. She paused, unable to bring herself to begin the call. _What should I say? How do I even begin to explain being alive? I hope she won’t be angry._ Hesitantly, she selected the ‘audio only’ option, and waited.

“Captain Shepard speaking,” a tired voice came with the eventual reply.

“Err, hi Mum,” an incredibly uncertain and feeble voice said in greeting.

Shepard jumped as she heard the sound of crockery breaking on the cold hard floors of an Alliance ship’s decking. Given the time of the call, it was probably the cup of herbal tea her mother always drank before going to bed. The line was silent for several seconds before a response came.

“Who is this?” The voice of her mother no longer showed any signs of weariness. It was sharp, suspicious and angry.

“Mum, its Jane,” she replied. Her voice wavered slightly as she forced out her own name.

“My daughter died two years ago!” her mother snapped. “If this is just some sort of sick joke, I will see that you regret it!”

“No, Mum, it’s really me,” Jane answered with a small sob on the last word. She fumbled with her omni-tool as she offered video. “Look at me Mum.”

The channel was quiet for several seconds until her omni-tool eventually beeped as the offer was accepted. “Janey? My little Janey?” A loud sob followed it on the channel. “You’re not gone?”

“No Mum, I’m right here,” Jane cried back in response.

“But... two years? You’ve been gone for two years!” A hint of the anger that had been present before reappeared in the senior’s voice. “How could you let me, anyone, think you were dead for two years?”

“I didn’t. I was,” Shepard sobbed. “Two years ago I was killed. Then I woke up a week ago in some sterile lab.”

“Where have you been, some sort of undercover mission? Had they changed your appearance? Oh, Janey, your eyes,” her mother sobbed, clearly looking at the bandage. “Was it a Spectre mission?”

“Mum, please, listen to me. I _was_ dead. I died. I got spaced in an attack on the Normandy. It did happen, all of it. It was real. I died and I was brought back to life last week.”

The comm channel sat empty, transmitting nothing but silence for several incredibly long seconds.

“But... Why? How? Who?”

“Cerberus,” Shepard muttered. “The Illusive Man thinks that humanity needs me to stop the Reapers. As for how, it’s just a lot of medical mumbo jumbo involving some fancy, and expensive, implants.” She tilted her head, hoping to give her mother a better angle to see some of the visible implants around her head.

“But... there was a service for you, and the other members of the Normandy’s crew.”

Jane gulped.

“Is that where you are now, with Cerberus?” Hannah asked sounding concerned.

“Yeah,” Jane replied with a nod.

“Are you working for them? Are they forcing you to work for them?”

“No. Yes. Sort of. It’s complicated. Human colonists are being attacked by a race called the Collectors. The Illusive man asked me to investigate the disappearances and stop them. How could I say no?”

“But you’re free to leave if you wanted to?”

“Yes... probably,” Jane replied, sounding very uncertain. “I certainly don’t think they could stop me... normally.”

“Your eyes, they’ll heal, right?” her mother asked with a small sob. “You always had such beautiful strong eyes. Your father had-”

“-green eyes too. I know Mum. And, don’t worry. They’ll be fine in a couple of days. Miracles of modern medicine, right?” Shepard forced a smile. “A thug on Omega just got a bit too close with a flashbang.”

“That’s good Sweetie.”

Shepard could picture he mother smiling at her, probably fighting back tears. “So... how was my funeral?” Jane blurted out. “I have to ask...”

“The local government on Elysium named a plaza in their capital city after you,” Hannah explained, laughing lightly, a few sniffs breaking up the soft chuckles. Jane groaned in response before her mother continued. “They built you a fountain in the centre of it with ‘Shepard Memorial Plaza’ calved into it.”

Jane sighed as she let her head fall against her free hand. “Just tell me there isn’t a statue,” she groaned.

“There isn’t a statue. I heard there was plans for one originally, but a member of the admiralty saw to it that it was removed from the plans. I believe that Councillor Anderson convinced him it was a bad idea,” Hannah replied as her daughter breathed a sigh of relief.

“So... Did you get a chance to meet any of my crew from back then?” Jane asked, sounding both eager and nervous, depending on what her mother’s opinion of Liara would be.

“I did. There was a very tightly knit group of aliens and humans that I gather were your team. Seemed like a very... abstract group.”

“That sounds about right,” Shepard chuckled. “Did any of them stand out?”

“I don’t think it’s possible for a krogan not to stand out in a crowd of humans, but I can see why you let them all join you,” Hannah replied softly. “That Turian in particular, if he was telling the truth about how good a shot he was. What was his name, Vavarian?”

“Vakarian,” Jane replied with a small laugh. “And, yeah, he is definitely as good with a rifle as he says he is. Actually, he’s onboard right now, working with me again. I pulled his ass out from the sights of a few hundred mercenaries he’d pissed off.”

“Jane, language!” her mother snapped.

“Erm, sorry Mum,” Jane replied. She could feel the faint heat of a blush spreading across her freckled cheeks. “So, did anyone else stand out?”

“I was surprised at the quarian. She seemed to be so incredibly young.”

“She was,” Jane muttered. “She seems all grown up now though, I bumped into her on a colony a few days ago.”

“And that marine had potential too. Williams was it? I think I heard she got a promotion a while ago. Unfortunately I don’t hear quite as much as I use to without handling an admiral’s business for him. They’ve got me captaining the Orizaba now. Can’t say I mind the bigger quarters, but they can be a bit spartan. I mean, just look at this wall.”

“Err, Mum... The bandage... The wall could have polka dots on it for all I can tell.”

“Sorry Sweetie,” Hannah apologized, still sounding concerned.

“But, back to my crew, what did you think of Liara?”

“Who Sweetie?”

“The asari archaeologist that I was working with catching Saren.”

“I’m afraid the only two Asari I recall seeing there were the Asari Councillor and a diplomat by the name of... Dantius? I think. Anyway, your team didn’t seem very fond of either of them, although the brass ensured to introduce me.”

“You mean, no other Asari where there?” Jane asked slowly as she tried to process the implications.

“I think I heard a few things about an Asari... She was the one you were sweet on if my memory serves me.”

“I need to go!” Shepard stated in a panic before sitting up to get out of the bed.

“But Sweetie, we’ve got so much to catch up on.”

“I’m sorry Mum, but this is important,” Jane said apologetically. “I’ll call you again soon. I promise.”

She cut the channel as she practically leapt from the bed, up onto her feet. Fairly certain that the exit was somewhere to her right once she reached the foot of her bed, she turned and walked briskly towards it, using the foot of each bed she passed to help keep her position in check. Reaching out with her left hand, she eventually felt the cool surface of the exit. She ran her hand along the surface until she found the interface and tapped it to open the door. She stepped through as soon as she heard it slide open and stepped through into the ship’s common are. Finding herself directionless, with no idea where she needed to go, she was left with only one option.

“Chakwas!?”

“What is going on?” a scolding voice asked her a few moments later as a set of footsteps approached her.

“I need to speak to Garrus!” Shepard stated as she heard the footsteps circle around behind her. She jumped when she felt a hand tug at the back of the hospital gown she was wearing. “What are you doing?”

“Covering up your back you blithering idiot,” Chakwas sighed. “Now, let’s get you back into bed. You can talk to him in the morning.”

“I need to see him _now_!” she insisted. “This is important, it’s about Liara.” There was a long pause before she felt an arm hook around hers.

“I don’t know why I even bother trying to argue anymore,” Chakwas sighed before gently pulling Shepard off to one side. “If you’re too stubborn to stay dead, I’m certainly not going to change your mind. I think he’s in the main battery.”

“Guess he just couldn’t resist a big gun,” Shepard smirked.

“Two steps,” Came the warning, just before Jane kicked the first one and yelped in pain.

“Next time, remind me to wear shoes,” she complained.

“You decided this was a good idea, not me,” Chakwas rebuked her. “If you want shoes, you’re on your own. I’m just here to make sure you don’t get seriously injured tripping over.”

“I grew up on starships. I think I could have found my way to the weapons battery if I had to,” Jane protested.

“Then why did you call for me?”

Shepard sighed, leaving a long pause before she begrudgingly admitted, “Because I couldn’t actually find him on my own.”

“Glad you can admit it,” Chakwas stated as she brought them both to a stop. A moment later Shepard heard a door open in front of them. “Hello again Garrus,” the doctor greeted. “I thought I told you to take it easy?”

“Just checking the weapons systems. No heavy lifting, I promise,” Garrus chuckled. “Good to see you up too Shep.”

“Against my better judgement,” Chakwas commented before Shepard could respond.

“It’s just for a little while, I assure you,” Shepard promised. “Got anywhere I can sit Garrus? I don’t want to keep the kind doctor here just to babysit me.”

“I want you back in the medical bay _tonight_. No wandering up to your cabin,” Chakwas instructed as she withdrew her arm from around Shepard’s. “Garrus, I’ll hold you responsible if she isn’t.”

“You might as well take my head now,” Garrus scoffed. “There’s a crate in the corner to your right Shepard. Can you find it on your own?”

Doctor Chakwas left quietly, while Shepard found her way to the crate by following the wall until she kicked the heavy box.

“So, what did you have to come see me about?” Garrus asked once she had seated herself.

Shepard lifted her head to look directly at him. He could feel her stare, despite her current state of blindness. The white bandage wrapped around her head only served to make the comparatively small human’s appearance even more intimidating.

“Why wasn’t Liara at my funeral?”

Garrus remained silent, unable to come up with anything that he thought would be a satisfying answer while Shepard looked to be scrutinizing him.

“Where was she, Garrus?” the commander asked again after several seconds of silence.

“I have no idea,” the Turian eventually admitted quietly. “She took it incredibly hard after the Normandy was destroyed. She kept saying that you couldn’t be dead. She really believed it.”

“But what happened, Garrus?”

“She... she left.”

“Left?” Shepard snapped.  “What do you mean ‘she left’? Garrus, this is Liara! What, you all just let her run off into the galaxy in search of a ghost?”

“You think we didn’t try to stop her? We all tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t hear it. We couldn’t get through to her,” Garrus explained. “What else could we have done?”

“Stopped her!” Jane shouted. “What, did she go back to Alchera? To the Omega Nebula?”

“I don’t know. Possibly. I tried to trace where she went once I got back to C-Sec, but there wasn’t much of a trail. She cut off all the contact she had with the Armali University, withdrew a large amount of credits from the T’Soni estate, and then vanished.”

_She left the university? Her work on the Protheans. That’s what the Illusive Man told me, but he also said she was working for the Shadow Broker. That isn't possible._

“Garrus, could she have turned to the Shadow Broker to help find me? The Illusive Man said that she was working for him, which means she’s alive, but... would Liara do that?”

“I don’t know. She seemed desperate. She was determined to find you, and I don’t think she would have let anything stand in her way,” Garrus mused. “It’s possible she dealt with him, but I doubt she’d work for them, at least not willingly.”

“But, we do know for certain that she’s not dead?” Shepard’s voice contained a quiet note of doubt. “I mean, if the Illusive Man told me Liara had died I very much doubt I’d be on this mission right now.”

“If Liara _had_ died, there would have been a grab for the T’Soni estate. Liara doesn’t have any siblings does she?” Garrus asked.

Shepard shrugged in response. “Not that I’m aware of. Family was a bit of a no-go topic after I killed Benezia,” Jane replied quietly.

“Yeah,” Garrus commented, sounding uncomfortable. “Well, if the Matriarchy on Thessia believed her to be dead, they would issue an order that she return to claim the household. If she doesn’t, the property is granted to the closest relation they can find.”

“So, they know she’s not dead?” Shepard concluded.

“If she was, it would have been all over the news networks. I’d have heard something, even on Omega.”

“Thanks Garrus,” Shepard said with a smile. “You’re quite well informed on Asari law?”

“C-Sec have to deal with members of every race. While the citadel has its own laws and rules, we do have to deal with issues such as inheritance in the same manner that a victim’s own race would. Can get quite complicated in cases such as Asari-Salarian couples.”

“I don’t think I want to know,” Shepard laughed, cautiously pushing herself up to her feet. “I should get back to the medi-bay before Chakwas decides to kill me. Could you give me a hand?” she reluctantly requested.

“Of course,” Garrus replied sounding slightly startled just before a set of talons grabbed onto Shepard’s forearm.

The Commander quickly snatched her arm out of the Turian’s grip before she placed her palm onto his arm. “I need you to lead, I don’t need pulling along after you.” Shepard smiled when Garrus hesitated for a moment. “After you.”


	35. The Alpha to Omega

“Shepard?” Doctor Chakwas’s voice called out as Jane heard the door to the dark medi-bay open. Both were barely audible over the sound of the ball Miranda had given her bouncing in a steady rhythm.

“Hey Doc,” she replied from her bed as she felt the lights turn on around her. A faint glow crept through the bandage still covering her eyes.

Miranda and Doctor Chakwas had been ready to start Shepard’s nanites to work once she had returned to the medi-bay two nights ago. To Jane’s surprise and relief the process of setting the nanites to work had required nothing more than a simple upload to the network her implants all operated on. Shepard hadn’t been able to resist making several jokes about the Cerberus Agent turning her into a walking comm buoy though.

Since then, Shepard had been confined to the medical bay to allow Doctor Chakwas to monitor the work being done on Shepard’s optic nerve. The stubborn human’s blood stream needed to stay stocked with the elements and compounds required for the new chips’ construction, while ensuring that levels of heavy metals never reached a level that would prove toxic to Shepard’s enhanced physiology. For anyone else the dosage would have proved fatal within days. For Shepard however, it rapidly accelerated the manufacturing rate of her implants.

“How do you feel?” The doctor asked as Shepard heard her footsteps approach.

“A little dizzy actually,” Jane replied as she sat up in the bed, letting the ball come to a stop. “But I think I can see the glow of the lights now that they’re on.”

“I think we can take that as a good sign. You’re probably feeling a little dizzy because you can see again and your brain is a little unsure on what to do with that information.”

“So, does that mean I’m getting the bandage off today?” Jane asked eagerly.

“I’m not answering that until I’ve checked your progress,” Chakwas stated, causing Shepard to huff in mock disgust.

Jane sat silently for several minutes, listening to the bleeps and tones of the doctor’s omni-tool as her status was checked until Chakwas spoke again.

“You’re in luck. It looks like the implants are already functional.”

“YES!” Shepard shouted from her seated position on the bed, resisting the urge to move much in celebration as she wasn’t completely sure where the older woman was in front of her.

“Just remember that your vision is likely to be blurred at first, and I expect you to be a little short sighted until the nanites are finished,” Chakwas warned. “I’m going to need to test it thoroughly before I’m willing to allow you to start going on any missions, raids, rescue operations and anything else involving guns.  The last thing anyone needs if for you to be unable to distinguish between friend and foe.”

“Don’t worry Doc, I don’t think I could take Garrus’s jokes about not shooting straight if I’m not at least back to twenty-twenty before I pick a rifle up again.”

“Glad to hear it,” Chakwas answered as she moved around directing in front he the Commander to grip at the bandage. “This is probably going to seem exceptionally bright. Remember, you haven’t opened your eyes for two days.”

“Then I hope you’ve got the lights set low,” Jane mumbled. “Let’s go for it Doc.”

The bandage was gently pulled away from her face. The intensity of the light in the room instantly overwhelmed her, causing the commander to throw an arm up to protect her eyes. After blinking several times, Jane began to cautiously remove her arm, letting in slightly more light until she was looking up towards a blurred face in front of her.

“Good to see you again Doc,” Shepard said with a grin.

“If you’re feeling up to it, we should be coming in to dock at the Citadel within the hour. There’s just enough time for you to get showered and have breakfast before I have to run my tests,” the Doctor stated. “Just make sure you come back here after dinner. I’ll need to check the metal levels in your blood again.”

“Sure thing Doc,” Shepard replied, not paying any attention to her as she pulled a sheet off of the bed to wrap it around herself.

“Don’t forget that,” Chakwas added as she pointed up towards the ceiling before walking back towards her desk.

Shepard grinned as she looked up at the ball that had come to a rest on the ceiling just above what had been her bed. She held an arm out from beneath her sheet and released her biotic hold on it, letting the sphere fall straight into her awaiting palm. Without a look back, she then headed out to the ship’s crew deck and towards the elevator to her quarters.

“I want that sheet back sterilized,” Chakwas shouted after her, just before the door to the med-bay closed.   

* * *

“Hey Joker,” Shepard greeted the pilot as she reached the cockpit. “Looks like we’re almost there?”

“Hi Shepard. Good to see you back up and about,” Joker shouted happily over his shoulder. “You’ve had us all worried this last couple of days.”

“Yeah, well I was worried too. So, we almost there?” Shepard asked as she stared out of the cockpit’s canopy into the swirling serpent nebula.

“About five minutes out from dock. Already got our approach vector,” Joker replied as he focussed his attention back on the ship’s readouts.

“Our current velocity is two percent above maximum safety guidelines, Mr Moreau,” EDI’s synthesized voice stated as the holographic globe representing her appeared beside the pilot. “We should decelerate in order to avoid unwanted scrutiny. Cerberus is, after all, considered to be a terrorist organization by both the Citadel and the Alliance.”

“And you guys had to paint a logo on the side of the ship,” Shepard sighed. “Ease off a little Joker. No security attention, at least not until I’ve had chance to speak to the Council.”

“Sure,” Joker groaned as he adjusted the ship’s controls. “Take its side.”

Shepard rolled her eyes as the immense structure of the Citadel began to manifest within the swirling gasses of the nebula.

“Feels like a lifetime ago doesn’t it?” Shepard asked the pilot.

“The good old days, or the last time we were here?” Joker asked sarcastically. “Because I was here less than a month ago. Shipment of computer hardware for some research project. That and basic supplies.” The pilot turned to look at Shepard over his shoulder. “For the record, Athabasca Class freighters handle like bricks. Worse than that shuttle down in the hanger.” He turned back to his controls as a proximity warning came up on his main display. “Give me a Normandy and their over powered drive cores any day.”

“This isn’t the Normandy Joker. None of this ship was even a part of the original Normandy.”

“But there’s us. I mean, I’ve got to take what I can get. The last two years have been hell. At least Garrus is back now too. Give it a few weeks, we’ll have the whole gang back together,” Joker said cheerily. “It’ll be just like old times.”

“I hope not,” Shepard shrugged. Kaidan and I died.”

 _“Not another one,”_ a gravely turian voice mocked over the ship’s communications system. _“Do you guys have any idea how many humans have named their ships ‘Normandy’ in the last two years?  Really original. You’re cleared for civilian bay G-forty-eight. Have a nice stay.”_

“Thanks Control,” Joker replied over the comm.

“So how are you two getting along?” Shepard asked as she looked towards the now empty holographic display.

“I preferred the Normandy when she was quiet. This thing’s like ship cancer,” Joker complained as he gestured towards EDI’s appearing hologram. He quickly pulled his arm back to apply a course correction as the ship approached the dock.

“It offends Mr Moreau that I am installed on board _his_ ship,” EDI stated. “Although I have no access to the ship’s systems beyond the sensor telemetry, he believes that I am not trustworthy.”

“Ships don’t talk back to their pilots!”

“I am not the ship. I am merely along for the ride, just like the rest of the crew,” EDI stated.

“Well if you were a member of the crew you would stop listening and watching everything everyone does,” Joker argued.

“That’s it, I’m finding you two a couple’s councillor,” Shepard sighed. “EDI’s just doing her job Joker. Did you really think the Illusive Man would give us free ship without putting some sort of leash on us?”

“Well it’d be nice if he could be a little more discrete about it,” Jeff complained as the Normandy came to rest in a berth.

“Then give him the complaints, not EDI. She’s not a Geth Joker. She’s a potential resource.”

“Whatever,” Joker grumbled. “Go enjoy the Citadel and make good with the politicians. I’m sure they’ll all be overjoyed to see that their favourite Spectre is back. You can give them another ear bashing on giant ancient killer AI’s wanting to wipe them all out.”

“Don’t worry Joker. I know at least one of the Councillors will be happy to see me alive,” Shepard replied before walking into the airlock as Garrus, Miranda and Jacob reached the cockpit, each out of breath.

“You could have given us a little more notice,” Miranda huffed as they stepped into the airlock.

“Where to first?” Garrus asked.

“The Council. I want my Spectre status back. If we’re going after the collectors, and they are involved with the reapers, we’re going to need every available resource we can get our hands on,” Shepard replied as the air started to hum.

“Decontamination in progress,” EDI stated.

“After that, I feel like a shopping trip.”

“Oh, that reminds me. I have something for you,” Miranda said as she pulled out a credit chit. “This is for an account. Cerberus put a thousand credits in there for you. The Illusive Man will top it up every now and then.”

“That’s it?!” Shepard snapped. “And what about _my_ credits?  I suppose I can’t access any of that on account of being dead!”

“Actually, everything was given to your mother since you didn’t leave a will,” Miranda shrugged. “You died.”

“Remind me to ask her for some of it back,” Shepard sighed as the airlock opened. “Come on, let’s go.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve had a chance to look over all of the dossiers yet, have you?” Miranda asked as they stepped onto the gangway.

“No, not all of them. It hasn’t exactly been easy since I haven’t been able to see anything recently,” Shepard snapped. “You’re asking because of the thief though, right?”

“Kasumi Goto. She’s meant to be the best, and that’s exactly what we’re after for this mission.”

“I thought it was my mission? And I’m not sure what use we’ll have for a thief. We want to kill the collectors and the reapers, not pick their pockets,” Jane commented. “And I thought a dossier was meant to have detailed information. This just said she’s a thief, that she contacted Cerberus and told them that she would meet us on the Citadel.”

“A thief that has allegedly never been detected,” Miranda elaborated. “Someone that can get in and out of almost anywhere without being seen. She could be a great help to us.”

“I don’t see why this is an issue. There wasn’t a meeting place listed, or anything other than ‘the Citadel’. What, you want me to search the whole station for an expert at not being found?”

“I was merely curious if you were aware of them,” Miranda stated as they reached the port. “Come on, let’s get through security,” she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck where she’d had to remove her biotic amplifier.

“Looks like they beefed it up a bit since the last time I was here,” Shepard observed.

“Technically, the war with the geth is ongoing. C-Sec have been using it to gain tighter security throughout the station,” Jacob explained.

“About time. The number of weapons soared after the Normandy was destroyed. Suddenly everyone got jumpy about geth infiltrators, like they expected them to try and invade the Citadel again,” Garrus recalled.

“They’ve banned guns, knives and amps, so if anyone has one, now’s the time to get rid of it,” Miranda suggested as the four of them approached the nearest checkpoint.

“Miranda, my amp,” Shepard hissed. “What am I meant to do?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be able to talk them into letting you through. I should be able to explain every implant in you as prosthetics if I have to,” Miranda replied calmly, leading the way to the nearest checkpoint.

“This can only go badly,” Shepard mumbled from the back of the line, wishing for the chance to go somewhere without creating a scene.

She watched silently as the turian security guard waved the two Cerberus agents through as they cleared the scan. He paused to exchange a few words with Garrus, but quickly moved on, leaving Shepard standing just outside of the scanner.

There was no way to get through this checkpoint without incident. With the array of implants Miranda had grafted into her, Shepard was certain that something had to be against the law. That was without mentioning the biotic implant sitting in the base of her skull. The icing on the cake however was that she would officially be dead. Two years after the destruction of the Normandy, there was no way that she couldn’t be listed as deceased.

“I haven’t got all day,” the turian eventually snapped after the human had spent several seconds staring at his work station.

Hesitantly, Shepard stepped between the two pylons that made up the scanner and held her breath.

“Well this is weird,” the Turian officer muttered as Shepard continued out of the scanner. “I’m sorry Ma’am, but you’ll have to wait a minute. We’re having some technical trouble,” he stated before turning away from the human as two barriers powered up, effectively sealing her within the scanner.

Jumping back slightly out of surprise, Jane felt the flicker of her biotics down one arm as her body instinctively prepared to fight its way out of confinement. She slowly rel;eased her breath, hiding her glowing hand behind her back as the turian’s gaze returned to her, although he was still hissing comments into his mouthpiece.

“What? Do you seriously… Yeah, okay.” He let out a groan as the channel was closed on him. “I’m sorry. We’re getting some false data back from our records. They’re listing you as deceased,” the C-Sec officer explained as he lowered the security barriers.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I was listed as missing in action a few years ago,” Shepard replied, trying to sound relaxed.

“I’ll need you to check in with my captain. He can reinstate you in our system. His office is the big one by the checkpoint exit,” the turian stated with a jab over his shoulder. He craned his neck to look behind Shepard. “Who’s next?”

Not needing to be told twice, Shepard quickly caught back up with the rest of the group. “I cannot believe we just got away with that,” she exclaimed in a hushed voice. “Seems too unlikely to be a computer error.”

“I saw the specs on those scanners just before I left for Omega. It’s not possible for them to miss your amp,” Garrus mumbled as he led the way towards the security office. “Too many backups for a malfunction, or even a hack.”

“Well something, or someone, is on our side at least,” Miranda Shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now, we’re through.”

“Not necessarily,” Shepard warned as she received a message on her omni-tool. It was marked as being from Councillor Anderson. “Seems the council just became aware of my presence. Apparently that means I’m required to attend an _emergency_ meeting.”

“Perhaps they want to give you the several awards you were granted for dying in the line of duty in person,” Garrus chuckled.

“Don’t get too ambitious,” Jane replied with a smile. “We need to see this captain first,” she cautioned as she stepped up to the door of what appeared to be a large communal office. Judging from the number of staff inside, it had to be responsible for the security of a significant portion of the ward.

“Commander Shepard. I had to see this one for myself,” a seasoned looking officer said from the desk closest to the door. “Every database I’ve got access to says you’re dead.”

“Got bored. Figured I’d save the galaxy again,” Shepard shrugged with a cocky grin.

“Usually you’d have to go through the Station Security Administration to reactivate your IDs,” the captain replied, his mouth twitching as he fought off a laugh. “Then to Customs and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel proper. And probably a stop by the treasury. ‘Spending a year dead’ is a popular tax dodge,” the experienced Captain grumbled.

“I wish,” Jane sighed.

“But, I can see you’re a busy woman, so how about I just press this button right here, and we call it done?” he offered, pointing to his console.

“You’re not big on formalities are you?” Shepard asked, unable to hide an amused smile.

“I’m with them right up until the point they keep people from doing their jobs,” the Captain answered with a quick tap of his interface. “Somehow I think a dead Spectre has better things to be doing.” The console chimed in response. “I just saved you about nine days of running around. That said, you should head up to the presidium and tell the Council you’re still alive and kicking.”

“That’s our next stop,” Jane confirmed. “What’s the quickest route to the Presidium?”

 “There’s a public shuttle terminal on the far side of the market. Take that, it’ll drop you off at the base of the tower.”

“I will, thanks,” Shepard said to the Officer. “Should be nice to have access to some resources for a change.” She gave Miranda a sideways glare.

“Best thing about working for C-Sec. You need something, it’s yours. Just look at the security equipment they gave us since that rogue spectre attacked the Citadel.”

“Thanks Captain. We should go.” Jane stated as she turned to leave the office.

“Commander, if you ever need any help from C-Sec, don’t hesitate to ask. And it’s Bailey by the way.”

* * *

“Well that could have gone a lot worse,” Jane yawned, cracking her neck as the group stepped out onto a bustling street.

“I still don’t understand how you could have gotten past those scanners?” Garrus queried.

“It has to have been a hack job,” Jacob replied. “Possibly-”

“Cerberus couldn’t have done it,” Miranda cut in before Jacob could suggest it. “Besides, the Illusive Man doesn’t have enough agents in the Citadel to gain control of dock security like that… I don’t think.”

“Very few other people know I’m alive, let alone that we were coming to the Citadel.” Jane pondered as they reached the shuttle station. She used the nearby interface to call them a car.

“A lot of people must have seen you on Omega,” Garrus theorised as he climbed into the front passenger seat of the car.

“None of them are likely to help, beyond you and Mordin.” Shepard quickly closed the door to the vehicle after she seated herself besides Garrus, with Jacob and Miranda in the rear seats.

The four of them sat silently for several minutes as the car merged with the streams of traffic flowing through the colossal station.

“What about Aria?” Jacob eventually proposed. “Compared to every other encounter with her I’ve heard of, she seemed to like you.”

“I don’t think she’s the type to hand out free favours,” Jane replied with a worried expression.

Garrus couldn’t help but laugh. “If that pirate has access to Citadel Security, the Collectors just ranked a whole lot lower on our list of problems.”

“Most people wouldn’t be able to recognize you anyway, not from simply passing you in a street,” Miranda commented. “Although, with the implants you certainly are memorable.”

“Just when I was starting to feel a little less self-conscious about them, you had to bring them up. Thank you so much Miranda,” Shepard responded sarcastically.

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Miranda apologized after a moment of silence.

Shepard let it hang in the air for a few moments as the shuttle began its descent towards the Presidium ring, and the base of the Citadel Tower. “Look, I’m just a bit self-conscious that someone put me together from a box of scraps. It’s not your fault, but you really don’t make it easy.”

“I guess I could say the same about you,” Miranda stated as car touched down.

Shepard swore she saw a small smile on the Cerberus agent’s lips as they exited the car, but found neither the time, nor the desire to inquire further as they hurried towards the tower and already awaiting elevator sitting at the base.

“I worked and lived here for years, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen an elevator waiting at the base of the tower,” Garrus stated in disbelief. The doors quickly closed behind them before the car began to ascent the tower.

“And it’s already set for the Council offices. Someone’s giving us just a few vague hints they’re here,” Shepard stated with a grin.

“You know who got you through security?” Jacob asked.

“If you’re capable of stealing something and smuggling it off of a station, I’d imagine you’re capable of sneaking something onto a station as well. Isn’t that right, Ms Goto?” Shepard’s final question was addressed to the remainder of the elevator car, rather than to any one member of the team standing around her.

“Not bad Shepard. I heard you were a good,” a small, playful, unseen voice replied. “I did hope you’d figure it out based on the security checkpoint, but I do hate having to wait for elevators. Standing in a public place too long isn’t good for those try to stay hidden.”

“If Miranda hadn’t mentioned you when we left the ship, I doubt I would have pieced it together at all,” Shepard replied.

A flicker of light came from against the glass on the opposite side of the car as another human appeared out of thin air. The small slender figure was almost completely dressed in black with their head and most of their face shrouded by a low hood. A small mouth was visible however, curled into a smile. “In that case, allow me to introduce myself. Kasumi Goto, the _best_ thief in the business.”

“Never heard of you,” Garrus declared.

“Good,” the thief replied. “If everyone knows who I am I’m doing something wrong.”

“So why all of the subterfuge and games? Not that I don’t appreciate someone that can actually turn invisible.”

“I wanted to be sure you really were you. There’s been a few people claiming to be Commander Shepard over the years, but now I’m certain,” the Japanese girl replied with a shrug.

“How so, you’ve only just met me?”

“You’ve got an aura about you. Authority.” Kasumi’s smile flicked up into a grin. “One badass woman with a mission, and death itself can’t stand in your way. Like you’ve seen things.”

“I take it Cerberus has briefed you then?”

“Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t try to find me sooner. My fault for being hard to find I guess. Once I found out about their signing bonus I contacted them and made a deal. I have a problem I need some help with, and you seemed like the perfect candidate.”

“I take it this deal is something I should be aware of?”

“Yeah, guess it slipped their minds.” Kasumi replied with a flat sarcastic tone.

“It always does,” Shepard replied with another sideways frown at Miranda.

“I’m looking for my old partner’s grey box. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I’m planning to take it back.”

“I doubt Hock is going to be the type of guy to appreciate someone stealing their stuff?”

“I always expect trouble,” Kasumi replied calmly. “That’s why you’re here.”

“So, a grey box is some kind of hardware?”

“It’s a neural implant,” Kasumi answered as a holographic visor appeared over her eyes, just beneath her hood. “Illegal in most places. Stores memories, thoughts… secret codes, illicit information. This one in particular is important to me. It belonged to my partner, Keiji Okuda. We worked together for a long time, before Hock killed him.”

“It sounds important. We’ll get it done.”

“It’ll be fun! And if we’re lucky you won’t even have to draw your gun.” Kasumi playfully replied.

“I’m not known for my good luck,” Shepard grumbled.

“Just winning against impossible odds,” Garrus interjected.

“Good point,” Shepard chuckled.

“We’re at your stop,” Kasumi warned them as she disappeared in a flicker of light.

“You realize this elevator has cameras, not just the floors?” Jacob warned the invisible theif.

“I’m assuming he’s not your infiltration expert. No one cares about losing the signal to one camera. If a whole floor went dead though, C-Sec would have the building locked down within minutes.”

“It wouldn’t take them that long for the Tower. One point of ground access,” Garrus corrected.

“You do make good eye candy though,” the Japanese woman teased as Jacob felt something prodding his bicep.

 “Let’s just go find Anderson.” Shepard ordered eagerly, “I never got the chance to see him after he became the human Councillor.”

* * *

“This meeting would be more productive if Udina were to join us,” the asari Councillor stated.

“My _advisor_ is unavailable,” Anderson huffed. “As Councillor I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance without him. Shepard will be-”

“Talking about me Councillor?” Shepard asked as the door into the Council’s meeting room opened.

“Commander, we were just talking about your sudden return, and my authority here,” Anderson replied with a sour glance towards the three other members, each seated around a large circular table that occupied the majority of the small room.

“It’s been a long time Anderson. I hope the last couple of years have treated you right?” Shepard laughed as she shook the dignitary’s hand. “Hopefully the soft beds aren’t wearing you down.”

“There’ve been some rough spots. It’s good to have you back,” Anderson beamed, pulling the Commander into a quick hug with a pat on the back.

“Old softie,” Shepard laughed with a small shove before she turned to look at the other Council members.

“We’ve heard many rumours surrounding your unexpected return. Some of them are… unsettling,” the Salarian Councillor cut in.

“I think he means you,” Shepard half whispered to Jacob, bringing a small smile to the ex-marine’s usually hard expression.

“We’ve called this meeting to give you the chance to explain your actions, Shepard. It seemed necessary once you appeared on the station. We owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the fight against Saren and his Geth,” the Asari Councillor explained.

“Sovereign,” Shepard corrected. “On the one hand we have the mindless brainwashed turian lackey. On the other we have the billion year old reaper pulling the strings to bring about the end of our races. Easy mistake to make I’m sure,” she explained with a sneer.

“Ah yes!” the turian councillor exclaimed. “Reapers! The sentient race of starships supposedly waiting in dark space.”

Shepard had to fight back a small laugh as the councillor gestured quotation marks at “Reapers”.

“We have dismissed that claim.”

“Shepard, no one else encountered the hologram on Ilos that told you the truth about the reapers. Only you and you crew ever spoke with Sovereign,” Anderson conceded. “I believe you, but without evidence from another source, the others believe Saren was behind the geth attacks.

“I prevented the conquest of the Citadel. I sacrificed human lives to save this council,” Shepard argued. “Whether you believe me or not you cannot deny that!”

We are in a difficult position, Shepard. You are working for Cerberus, an avowed enemy of the Council. This is treason, a capital offence,” the Asari Councillor stated.

“I’d like to see you try,” Jane answered threateningly as she approached the table to glare across it.

“That’s too far!” Anderson shouted back at his fellow Councillor. “Shepard is a hero. I’m on this council too and I won’t allow this charade to continue!”

“Maybe there is a compromise,” the Asari Councillor offered, quickly glancing between the two other council members sat at the table. Each gave her a quick nod in support, even if the turian’s was clearly begrudged. “Not a public acknowledgment, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support.”

“Shepard, if you keep a low profile and restrict your actions to the Terminus Systems, the Council is willing to reinstate you as a Spectre,” the turian barked.

“What does this mean, I’m going to have to start filing reports?”

“That won’t be necessary. This is a show of good faith on our part,” the Salarian Councillor explained calmly.

“We cannot become involved with an investigation regarding the missing colonists in the Terminus Systems. But, Spectre reinstatement shows our support of you personally,” the Asari Councillor added.

“Fine, I accept your offer,” Shepard replied.

“Good luck with your investigation, Shepard. We hope for a speedy resolution… and a quick end to your involvement with Cerberus,” the Asari Councillor said in parting before she rose from her seat and left the room, followed by the two other alien councillors.

“Well that went better than expected,” Anderson sighed with relief once all of the other Councillors had left the room. “You realize the Council’s offer is just symbolic? They won’t actually do anything to help?”

“I don’t need them to. Just keep them out of my way.”

“Well that shouldn’t be very difficult. Not as long as you stay in the Terminus Systems,” the Councillor replied as the door behind them flew open.

“Anderson. We need to talk about-Shepard!” Udina exclaimed as he entered the room. “What are you doing here?”

“And there I was thinking I might be able to make it through this one, just _one_ visit to the Citadel without having to see you Udina,” Shepard groaned as she slumped back in the human Councillor’s seat.

“Believe me Shepard, the feeling is mutual,” Udina snapped. “Your reappearance is a bureaucratic nightmare for us.”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not dead!”

“Relax,” Anderson barked at them both. “Udina, we just finished _our_ meeting with the Council.” Udina opened his mouth, but was cut off as Anderson continued. “They just agreed to reinstate Shepard, as long as she keeps her operations confined to the Terminus Systems.”

“I can see how that situations might be agreeable to both parties,” Udina slowly responded.

“And Shepard, we all know he’s an ass. That doesn’t mean you can point it out every time you see him.”

“Sure thing sir,” Jane replied with a laugh. “Probably best if we get moving. We’ll have to catch up another time Anderson,” Shepard said with a small amount of regret as she led her team back out of the office, leaving the Councillor alone with his fuming assistant.

“So where to?” Kasumi asked, startling everyone in the process as she reappeared safely inside the elevator.

“I need to buy a few things. A bit of gear and a couple of things I want for my cabin,” Shepard stated. “I’m not sure one thousand credits is quite going to cover it though, Miranda.” She tossed the credit chit as she spoke.

“Then I guess you’ll just have to compromise,” Miranda shrugged with a wide grin. “Think of it as a thank you for how cooperative you’ve been since we woke you up.”

“I’ll just have to borrow your chit late if it doesn’t prove enough.”

“I assure you, there’s enough for what you _need,”_ Miranda replied calmly. “Perhaps not for everything you want, but you’ve made it quite clear you don’t work for us.”

“I never saw Cerberus as the stingy type,” Kasumi laughed, giving Miranda a small nudge with her shoulder. “I hope you guys weren’t as cheap with our transport.”

“I assure you, Miss Goto, no expense was spared when it came to the Normandy, or Shepard for that matter. It’s been a considerable drain on Cerberus’s finances for the last two years. I think it’s only fair that we start to see some return on our investment, don’t you?” Mirada queried, addressing herself more to Shepard rather than Kasumi.

“Can we get noodles?” Kasumi asked abruptly. “There’s a little noodle bar near where you guys docked on Zakera Ward that does the best udon.”

“I’m going to catch a flight straight back to the Normandy. I have reports to fill out,” Miranda stated.

“I should head back too,” Jacob shrugged as the elevator reached the bottom and Kasumi disappeared in another flash of light. “I need to sort some equipment out in the armoury for our new friend.”

The group split off into two as they stepped out of the elevator, each taking separate cars from the taxi point, with Shepard and Garrus taking theirs back towards the market.

“Does anyone else think Jacob’s cute?” Kasumi asked from the back seat, still cloaked.

“Erm… no?” Garrus replied sounding either incredibly unsure or uncomfortable, or both.

“He’s not my type,” Shepard stated bluntly, fiddling with the credit chit Miranda had given her. “I can’t believe they only stuck a thousand credits on this thing.”

“I guess they just don’t like you that much,” Garrus sighed.

“Doesn’t matter,” Kasumi said with a playful laugh before she de-cloaked lying between the two front seats. “I’ve got Agent Lawson’s.” The thief grinned as she threw a second chit to Shepard.

“Kasumi, I love you already!” Shepard stated with a grin.


	36. I Work Alone

Shepard smiled as the hologram lit up. The light was quickly reorganized into what appeared to be a solid image of Liara’s portrait hung just above and behind Shepard’s headboard, her innocent smile looking out over Jane’s quarters. She moved to sit on the sofa facing towards her bed and the portrait when she heard the doors to her cabin slide open, quickly followed by the sound of Miranda’s heels walking towards her, although each step came with an urgent thud.

“Shepard! What did you do?!”

Jane looked down at the collection of models sitting on the table in front of her. “I just bought a couple of things to help me feel a little more at home. Wasn’t that the point of giving me a credit chit?”

“The point of giving you a credit chit was so you could spend your own credits, not mine!”

“That was expensive,” Jane protested. She looked up towards the holographic portrait of Liara. “I wanted the best for her. It didn’t leave me any credits left for anything else.”

Miranda shook her head. “Then you shouldn’t have bought anything else.”

“I don’t plan on spending the entire time I’m on board this ship walking around in that god awful uniform you provided, even if it preferable for that tasteless cat suit you wear.”

“So that’s how you justify spending two hundred of _my_ credits on clothes?” Miranda snapped, “three hundred on these stupid models? Five hundred on fucking fish!” She glared at the large illuminated fish tank in the office space.

“Well, if you want your credits back, I’m not sure any of it will be a lot of use to you. The clothes are probably a bit big for you, and I doubt you’ve got anywhere to keep the fish?” Jane picked up a model freighter. “You don’t strike me as a ship fan either.”

Miranda crossed her arms, frowning at Shepard for a moment before turning to leave. She took one step towards the exit before turning to face the bed. “Or I could take that projector.”

Jane bolted to her feet. She blocked Miranda’s path before the agent had managed to take more than two steps.

“That’s mine.”

“You stole my credits,” Miranda stated defensively.

No verbal response ever came. Shepard simply narrowed her eyes, glaring at the other woman. Miranda backed away under Jane’s leering gaze. She moved to take another step backwards when her heel caught on the first step up to Shepard’s office and sent her tumbling to the floor with a loud yelp of pain.

* * *

“What on earth possessed you two to behave like such a pair of children?” Doctor Chakwas snapped as she examined Miranda’s wrist. “To think a trained marine could behave so poorly. And you,” Her eyes flicked up towards Lawson’s. “With that ‘perfect’ genetically engineered story you’ve been telling everyone, you’d think you could include better judgement!”

“Sorry,” Jane and Miranda both uttered in unison, each staring at their own feet.

“Good.” Doctor Chakwas moved to gather several pieces of medical equipment and supplies from a nearby cupboard. Upon turning back around, she glared at Shepard. “What are you still doing here? I thought you were supposed to be out there saving the galaxy again, not invading Agent Lawson’s privacy.”

“Erm… Sorry?” Shepard said before making a quick exit from the medbay.

“So what did you do?” Chakwas asked Miranda once Shepard was safely out of the room.

“Nothing,” Miranda insisted.

“Shepard doesn’t start threatening people over _nothing_. What did you do?”

“Shepard stole my credits,” Miranda protested.

“What did _you_ do?”

“I… I was going to steal the picture frame in her room,” Miranda sighed. “Shepard had a copy of a painting of her asari in it.”

“Liara?” Chakwas asked as she forcefully tightened a bandage around Miranda’s wrist, making her shout out.

“Yes,” Miranda complained, opening her mouth to continue before Chakwas cut her off with a glare.

“You thought that threatening to steal a picture of Liara from Shepard was a good idea? What exactly made you think that was a good idea? You went through every piece of data you could find on her while rebuilding her, and you didn’t think she would act defensively?” Chakwas continued to glare before pointing towards the door. “There, shoo. No using that wrist for a few days, and absolutely no missions. Let the medi-gel in the bandage work.”

“Feels more like a splint,” Miranda mumbled as she nursed her bandaged arm.

Chakwas sighed as the door closed before collapsing back into her seat and shaking her head. “Those two will be the death of me.”

* * *

Zaeed didn’t wait for the shuttle to touch down before he leapt out of the cabin into the dense jungle. Zorya appeared as through every continent was covered in sprawling jungle from orbit. That opinion hadn’t faltered as the shuttle had approached the sprawling canopy, broken only by several smoke stacks several miles to the north.

“What’s the rush Zaeed, they’ve been here for a fortnight,” Shepard called after the mercenary as the shuttle touched down. “I think we can afford the few seconds it takes to touch down.”

“The longer we take to get there, the longer they have to get ready for us,” the ill-tempered man shouted back.

“I think they’ve had more than enough time to prepare for a counter attack. We have to go in smart,” Shepard insisted as she rushed to catch up. “We go in slowly and use the jungle for cover. If we do it right, we can circle around and attack them from the rear.”

“This is my mission, not yours,” Zaeed argued. “Just stay tight and watch out for ambushes. I’ll patch us in to their radio frequency.”

“Edi’s already working on cracking their radio encryption. She just needs them to send a few more broadcasts,” Jacob explained as he and Garrus managed to catch up over the rough terrain.

“I’ve already got the key,” Zaeed stated.

“You couldn’t have let us know that in advance?” Shepard questioned.

_“Squad Bravo, a shuttle landed near your location. Check it out.”_

“Sounds like we’re going to have company,” Garrus sighed.

“Expect six troops. They won’t be stupid enough to send mechs out into this growth,” Zaeed confirmed.

“Garrus, move off to the right flank. Find yourself a perch,” Shepard ordered.

“Structure ahead!” Garrus shouted.

“Residential?” Jane queried.

“Too small. Looks more like a field lab. Could be a prospecting site?”

“Does it matter? It had to be more favourable terrain than this,” Jacob complained as he hit a shrub blocking his route.

“Find somewhere up front Jacob. Put those biotics to use,” Shepard ordered as she pulled out her assault rifle. “I’ll keep any of them from flanking you. Zaeed, can you-”

“I’ll kill the fucking lot o’ ‘em,” the mercenary snapped before sprinting towards the structure.

“Sure,” Shepard sighed before pursuing him.

* * *

“I was expecting that to be harder,” Shepard mused.

“Cheap fucking labour,” Zaeed snarled before he kicked the helmet of a dead batarian at his feet.

Garrus strode towards them from the edge of the treeline, opposite to the direction the mercenaries had approached them from. “You’d think when they send reinforcements they could send more than three people.

“I think he singed me with that flamethrower though,” Jacob sighed as he examined a now black, flaky patch on his uniform.

“The next group won’t be so easy,” Zaeed warned. “Sounded like their dispatcher caught on that we’re not just a recon party. They’ll wait for us at the most fortified position.” Without waiting for a response Zaeed began walking on in the direction of the refinery.

Shepard managed to catch up with him when he came upon a retracted bridge. Shepard activated the nearby controls, extending the walkway over a narrow canyon blocking their progress.

_“This is Commander Santiago. If any of you retreat while the intruders are still alive, I’ll kill you myself. Now get the hell back out there!”_

“Vido,” Zaeed stated. “Sounds like he hasn’t changed.

Shepard halted the bridge half way across the canyon. “I get the feeling you have a past with this guy?”

“I knew he was a sadistic bastard back when we started the Blue Suns. The Suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago.” Zaeed growled. “So, yeah. We have a past!”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me you founded the Blue Suns?” Jane asked as she crossed her arms.

“Because it’s not common knowledge. Vido wiped me out of the records,” the merc replied sounding bitter. “He ran the books, I lead the men. Worked real well for a while. Then he started hiring batarians. Cheap labour, he said. God damn terrorists, I said.”

“You should have told us. We’re a team! This doesn’t work unless you’re open with us.”

“I work alone,” Zaeed replied bluntly. “I don’t normally take jobs I can’t handle myself. It was a hard learnt lesson.”

“Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge,” Shepard commented, digging to discover what had pushed Zaeed so far.

“A grudge! Zido turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger!” Zaeed shouted as he pointed violently at Shepard. “For twenty years, I’ve seen that bastard every time I closed my eyes. Every time I sighted down on a target. Every time I heard a gunshot. Don’t you call that a goddamn grudge.”

“You survived a gunshot to the head?”

“Year. And you survived your ship being disintegrated. A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a hell of an anaesthetic.”

“Explains the eye,” Shepard mumbled before restarting the bridge.

_“They’ve been sighted at the southern access. All squads mass at the southern gatehouse! NOW!”_

“I guess we aren’t going to be getting the jump on them this time,” Garrus stated as he checked the clip in his rifle.

“Bring it on, you son of a bitch!” Zaeed shouted towards the refinery on the opposite side of the canyon.

The four man squad continued on in silence, using the natural cover to conceal their approach to the gatehouse as much as possible. Being spotted while trying to traverse the slope up from the canyon would have left them at a distinct disadvantage. Fortunately, they didn’t meet anyone, as the Blue Suns appeared to be sticking to the undoubtedly fortified gatehouse.

The refinery didn’t come into view until they were standing directly in front of the gate. Only the jungle’s canopy was visible above them, while the dense ground foliage obscured the walls as they approached.

Shepard cautiously led the team towards the entrance, until Zaeed barged past her to the controls to promptly open the surprisingly unlocked doorway. She was not however surprised to find her staring down the barrels of at least ten assault rifles around the gate house, mostly on an elevated catwalk surrounded by pressurized pipes.

“Zaeed Massani,” the only unarmed Blue Sun called out. “You finally tracked me down.”

“Vido,” Zaeed stated, raising his assault rifle.

“Don’t be stupid Zaeed, I have a whole company of blood thirsty bastards behind me, ready to kill or be killed on my command.”

“How stupid do they have to be to agree to get killed for money?” Shepard laughed with Garrus.

“Actually, take your shot,” Vido continued, ignoring Shepard’s mocking comment. “Give me a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again.”

Zaeeds only response was to squeeze the trigger on his assault rifle, as he darted sideways towards a manual valve for cover. Shepard, Garrus and Jacob didn’t need any more of a prompt, each quickly finding their own cover before the mercs could return fire.

Surprisingly, the return volley didn’t follow. Vido simply looked over his shoulder where several shots that had sailed past had punctured pipes. “What’s that? Gone near sighted, old friend?” he scoffed.

“Burn you son of a bitch!” Zaeed bellowed as a burst fired from his assault rifle.

Vido barely had time to look back and register the flames pouring from the pipes behind him before the rusted metal was torn apart by an explosion. Two mercenaries were thrown from the walkway and landed either side of Shepard, their armour smouldering from the heat.

“You just signed your death warrant Massani!” Vido spat down at intruders before turning and quickly editing the walkway. Four additional mercenaries took his place, firing burst of gunfire down at them.

Shepard, Garrus and Jacob each clung to cover, doing their best to fire return volleys without exposing themselves. Zaeed however took to assaulting the valve on a pipe junction beside him using the butt of his assault rifle.

“What the hell are you doing?” Shepard asked the merc through the team comm-link as she glared at him.

Zaeed didn’t respond. After several more hard blows, the valve turned, increasing the rate that gas was flowing towards the fire on the walkway above them.

“Shit,” Jane muttered as she watched another explosion above them.

The flames and explosion surged through the pipe, following it in every direction, through ever junction. The Blue Sun troops were quickly swallowed by flame. The gatehouse shook violently as a larger explosion occurred where the mercenaries had been standing. The walkway tore under beneath the force of it before the gate halting their progress into the refinery buckled and collapsed.

“Opening the gate,” Zaeed stated before looking at the now flaming hole allowing them access to the rest refinery.

“You just put this entire refinery at risk. We don’t gamble with innocent lives for the mission. There’s always a better way!” Shepard shouted at the mercenary.

“Like what? Wandering around in the jungle for hours, looking for another way in?” Zaeed snapped back. “You wanna waste time out here, go ahead. I’m going to kill Vido.”

The older soldier moved to walk into the refinery, but was cut off when an armoured fist collided with his jaw line.

“You’re endangering lives, and the mission, for your own selfish revenge.”

“You really wanna do this, Shepard?” Zaeed growled in warning.

“I ought to knock you the hell out. But thanks to you, we’re got a burning refinery to save.”

“Let these people burn! Vido dies, whatever the cost!”

 Shepard grabbed the merc’s armour and shoved towards the gate. “I said we’re saving them! Move out!”

Two fresh Blue Suns soldiers charged at them as the squad stepped through the flaming gateway into the main facility. They were both quickly and efficiently cut down by gunfire.

“This way!” Zaeed shouted, gesturing towards the elevated walkway leaving the gate house. “Vido went this way!”

“HELP! We’re trapped” A crowd of people yelled from out of sigh above them. Shepard looked around frantically until she glanced up. A large group of people were trapped on a balcony hanging off the side of the refinery’s main processing plant. “We can’t get to the main gas valves to shut them off. The whole place is going to blow!” An explosion shook the walkway beneath them as flames burst out of the doorway behind the crowd of people.

Zaeed turned and opened the door in the direction they had been heading while Shepard started to walk towards the burning building.

“There’s no time!” Zaeed shouted after her. “Vido could be half way to the hanger by now.”

“I came here to save them,” Shepard called back, before sprinting through an open doorway and into the inferno within.

Garrus and Jacob looked at each other for a second and shrugged, before charging after the commander.

“Shit!” Zaeed cursed, punching the door controls before following; reluctantly. He found Shepard forcing the lever on a manual valve.

“Jacob, I saw a big warning sign that way,” Jane shouted over the sound of flames as she indicated a flight of stairs. “Go find something that looks important and shut it. Garrus, see if you can find a sprinkler system!” She turned to look back at the large mercenary that had appeared behind her. “Zaeed, there’s a gas pipe above me. It looks like it comes down on the far wall. Find a shutoff.” Still struggling with the lever, Jane glared at Zaeed when he didn’t move. “What? You’d stand there and watch these people die?”

“You’re damn right I would! The more time we waste here, the more time Vido has to escape. If he gets away, I’m blaming you!”

With one final push, Shepard pushed the leaving into the closed position with a loud grunt. “We’re here to free these people you fucking bastard!” Shepard screamed at the vengeance filled merc before running deeper into the burning building.

He caught up with her just as the commander closed another valve. Seconds later, the ferocity of the flames began to diminish as a torrent of water rushed down from the ceiling. “The civvies should be able to handle it from here. Time to get back after Vido,” Shepard called out called out to the silhouettes of Garrus and Jacob through the water.

“About time,” Zaeed snapped. “If Vido gets away, I’m holding you responsible!”

Shepard pushed the larger mercenary aside without paying him any notice and jogged in the direction of a sign saying “loading bay”.

Moments later the four of them emerged onto a large open platform serving as the refinery’s loading bay with several landing platforms suspended out over the giant canyon. They were just in time to watch a lone gunship lift off from one of the platforms and accelerate away. Zaeed stormed out into the bay, firing his assault rifle wildly in the direction of the gunship until his rifle jammed.

Shepard tapped her helmet to reopen a link to the Normandy. “Joker, we need some air superiority down here. Hostile mantis airborne and fleeing. Secondary weapons only to engage.”

 _“Acknowledge. Normandy beginning attack run above your location,”_ the pilot replied. Shepard looked up just in time to find herself face to face with Zaeed’s assault rifle.

“You just cost me twenty years of my life!” Zaeed roared at her threateningly.

Jane lifted her assault rifle to meet the mercenary’s seconds before a fire burst to life at the base of a punctured fuel tank. The flames almost instantly spread back to the canister, causing it to explode. The platform shook beneath them as a nearby support buckled and collapsed, throwing Zaeed to the ground and pinning him there.

“Son of a pitch,” Zaeed cursed as the roar of flamed slowly advanced towards him as the puddle of fuel expanded towards him.

“Zaeed! You alright?” Shepard asked as she lowered her assault rifle.

“The hell do you care?” Zaeed snapped. “I’m fine. Now get me the hell out of this shit hole.”

“Why?” Jane asked as she returned her rifle to her back. “I thought you only worked alone. How can I trust you to be there for the rest of the team when we need you?”

“I’ll do what I was God damn paid to do, Shepard” Zaeed shouted angrily. “Now stop screwing around and get me out of here!”

“The shuttle’s on route for extraction,” Jacob stated as he stepped up behind Shepard.

“You put your own goals ahead of the mission. That is not how my team operates,” Shepard stated as she backed away from the trapped human.

Zaeed opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a loud boom from above. All four team members on the platform looked out over the canyon in time to watch the Normandy shooting towards the horizon and fire a single shot with its mass drivers. A small speck sized explosion lingered in the distant sky as the Normandy continued on out of view.

“Vido’s dead. I guess you got what you wanted,” Shepard stated as their shuttle touched down behind her.

“He was meant to die by my hand!” Zaeed spat as she fought to shift the metal on top of him. “Just, get me out of here.”

“Why? You caused this. You would have left the workers to burn in a fire you started. Why shouldn’t I just leave you here to burn?”

“Because you need me!”

“I don’t think I want someone like you on my team.” Jane stepped into the awaiting shuttle. “Your place on my ship just got rescinded.”

“Cerberus paid my fee!”

“Not my problem,” Shepard shrugged as she moved aside to allow Jacob and Garrus on board.

“You can’t be serious. You need me.” Zaeed responded in disbelief.

Shepard gave Zaeed a quick nod before banging on the hatch to the pilot’s cabin, indicating it was time to leave.

“Screw you Shepard!”

The shuttle door quickly closed as it lifted off and departed the refinery. A quick static filled signal reached the mercenary seconds later saying “See you around Zaeed,” just before a pile of fuel tanks ruptured from the heat of the fire. The loading bay erupted into one giant fireball, before the deck plummeting down into the canyon. The shuttle however continued on its unwavering course.

* * *

“Where’s Zaeed?” Miranda asked sounding confused as she watched the ground team disembark the shuttle.

“Dead,” Shepard answered bluntly as she pulled her helmet off and opened a link to the bridge. “Joker, set a course to Korles. The planet with that krogan warlord,” she ordered.

“Korlos,” Miranda corrected her, looking startled. “But, what happened to Massani? Cerberus invested a lot of credits to ensure that he was the best!”

“He tried to blow up a refinery and got burned,” Shepard shrugged as she started pulling off the armour covering her arms.

“And you all just let him died?” Miranda snapped, glaring at Jacob and Garrus as they followed Shepard.

“The mission was to save the refinery and workers,” Garrus stated. Zaeed had other ideas.

“Part of being on a team is know how to follow orders, Zaeed didn’t,” Jacob added.

“The Illsuive Man made me in charge of this team,” Shepard elaborated, softening her tone slightly. “I’m in charge of who’s on it and who isn’t. The credits aren’t my concern, I’m just trying to stop the Collectors.” She picked up the removed armour and marched into the nearby open elevator. “I just want to make sure we don’t burn it down in the process!”

The doors to the elevator closed before the car rushed the commander away, leaving Miranda with the rest of the team. “I guess she is the one responsible for making sure this team works.”

“You brought her back from the dead for this,” Garrus stated as he slung his rifle back over a shoulder. “What was the point in that if you don’t trust her to win?” He walked towards the elevator without even looking at her again.

“I guess I should break it to the Illusive Man,” Miranda sighed to Jacob. “Perhaps her can still reclaim the credits he paid Zaeed.”


	37. Unpredictable

“Has anyone seen my rifle?” Shepard shouted across the hanger as she pulled a pile of cargo crates away from the bulkhead to search behind them.

“Your sniper is over here,” Garrus shouted back holding the rifle.

“No, assault,” Jane replied as walked over, still scanning everything in sight.

Jacob shrugged at her. “Just get one off the rack?”

“I put a custom accelerator and dampener on it from my shopping spree on the Citadel.”

Miranda frowned at Shepard with the mention of the proceeds from her stolen credits.

 _“We have entered the drop zone,”_ Joker’s voice announced over the ship’s com, seconds before the hanger door began to open.

“Damn it!” Jane cursed, grabbing another rifle and quickly attaching her assembled weaponry to her armour. She turned to see everyone else already pilling into the shuttle. “Has anyone seen Kasumi?”

They all shrugged in response, leaving Shepard once again staring blankly around the hanger. A flicker of light immediately in front of her made her jump as the image of the thief materialized right in front of her.

“Right here silly,” the Japanese girl laughed before brushing past Shepard to enter the shuttle.

Shepard sighed and followed her in, banging on the hatch to the cockpit for the pilot to take off.

* * *

 

“Shuttle away,” Joker muttered to himself as he watched the small ship clear the Normandy and begin it’s decent towards the planet’s atmosphere.

“It seems pointless to verbally inform me of events that I am already aware of through the ships sensor system,” EDI stated through the speakers in the cockpit.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Joker snapped. “I was just thinking.”

“How does talking to yourself constitute thinking?” EDI queried. “I fail to see how speaking to yourself is supposed to be constructive towards the human thought process?”

“You can comment on the human thought process once you can comprehend the simplest of jokes!” Joker said sarcastically back to the AI.

“Comedy is merely a matter of the correct sequence of words and timing to invoke a reaction,” EDI explained. “I believe the human phrase is ‘try me’.”

“Fine, Joker sighed. “Knock knock.”

“If your idea of comedy is to trick me into believing that someone is at the external hatch of the airlock, you will be unsuccessful.”

“For the love of… No, it’s a joke, you’re meant to respond.”

“Oh,” EDI paused for a minute, processing what was required of her. “Come in.”

“Stupid fucking AI,” Joker cursed under his breath as he focused his attention back on the Normandy’s controls.

* * *

 

“Shepard, what is that thing?” Joker asked from his precarious position seated on a cargo crate. Once the shuttle had returned to the Normandy, with all team members accounted for plus one, Shepard had ordered several additional members down to one of the ship’s cargo bays for ‘introductions’. Nothing in that had lead the pilot to expect a krogan in a giant test tube. “I thought we were getting some ancient warlord?”

“This is… Err…” Jane furrowed her brow for a moment as she glanced at the adolescent krogan slumbering behind her. “Actually, Okeer didn’t say what his name is. I’m not even sure if he has one.”

“Just so we’re all clear on this, what did happen to Okeer?

“Blue suns got him,” Garrus shrugged.

“It seems Okeer had made a deal with one of their leaders, offering tank bred krogan as troops in exchange for resources while Okeer was trying to create a ‘pure krogan’,” Miranda elaborated, gesturing towards the tank.

“Of course, he could be just as insane as the rest of the krogan,” Jacob pointed out.

“Hold on a second. You brought an insane krogan on board?” Joker asked sounding alarmed.

“He’s sane,” Shepard stated, “probably. I want the tank moved to the port cargo bay. I haven’t decided if I’m opening it yet.”

Jacob and Miranda quickly moved the large container into the ship’s elevator with their biotics. Mordin quickly followed to monitor and integrate the tank into the Normandy, leaving Joker, Garrus and Shepard in the hanger.

“Do you ever have one of those days when you question every decision you ever made?” Jane asked.

“Sure, but it’s usually because I risk Gardner’s cooking,” Joker shrugged.

“We bumped into someone from Virmire, Rana Thanoptis,” Garrus elaborated.

Joker looked at them blankly, “Who?”

“The asari neurospecialist Saren recruited while he was researching indoctrination. She developed the mental imprint routine Okeer used to educate the krogan,” Shepard explained.

“The insane ones?”

“And the one in the tank.”

“Who could be insane?”

Shepard sighed. “I’ll be careful Joker, but I really haven’t decided if I’m opening it yet. A pure krogan does sound tempting though.”

“Just let me know if you open it or something. Give the rest of us time to get to an escape pod before it tears a hole in the hull,” Joker replied with a grin.

Shepard rolled her eyes. “When you feel like heading back to the cockpit, and that leather seat you love so much, set a course to intercept that prison ship the Illusive Man gave us the details for.”

“Sure, just give me all the work,” Joker called after Shepard as the Commander walked towards the elevator.

“I’ll fly the ship if you want, and you can go on the next ground mission,” Shepard shouted back, before catching sigh of a mock alarmed look on Garrus’s face. “What?”

“I’ve seen you drive,” the turian mumbled.

* * *

 

“This is out-processing?” Miranda questions as they stepped into the large room filled with vacant workstations. A single member of staff had been using a control panel next to the entrance.

“You wouldn’t expect the walls to be covered in blood,” Shepard stated as she lead Garrus, Jacob and Miranda through the facility towards the only other door in the room.

Garrus took a quick look back around the room as they reached the exit. “Did that worker leave right behind us?”

Shepard pressed the controls on the door, which opened into a small cell.

 _“My apologies Shepard, but you’re worth more as a prisoner than a customer,”_ Purgatory’s warden boomed over the ship’s PA system.

“Big mistake,” Shepard shouted at the ceiling as she pulled her borrowed assault rifle from her back.

_“Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. Cooperate and you will not be harmed.”_

“So much for noble intentions,” Shepard replied as she began ordering her team into points of cover around the room. The PA ink cut off with a chime. “Get ready, they’ll be coming in force.”

**Line here**

“Are you sure we want to do this?” Garrus asked as he pulled two circuit boards out of a nearby security console. “If we do this, every cell in this block is going to open, and all of the automated security goes offline.”

Shepard looked up from the terminal, staring out at the sealed cryo-chamber guarded by two large inactive mechs. “What about those two.”

“Likely set to activate should security fail,” Mordin reasoned. “Purge the facility. Prevent high risk prisoners escaping. More throughout ship.”

“We don’t really have an alternative,” Jane stated just before activating the console.

The cryo-chamber hissed as it defrosted its occupant. Claxon’s sounded throughout the facility while the two mechs guarding the chamber activated. The chamber unlocked, sliding the cage up into the secure room. Fragments of ice fell from the cold metal and mechanisms as it moved, bringing a haze of vapour with it. After a few seconds it began to clear, revealing the small frame of a heavily tattooed woman, frost still clinging to her eyelashes and shaved head.

“That’s Jack?” Jacob asked in surprise. Jack’s eyes burst open. The small woman gasped for breath, trying to pull her arms free from her restraint. “I was expecting someone…”  He was cut off by a flash of biotic light form the prisoner.

Jack tore her limbs free before ripping the remaining restraints from her head and body. The mechs moved to neutralize the threat, but not before Jack launched forwards, tearing them to pieces through brute force with an almost feral scream.

“We need to get down there!” Shepard shouted, just before the head of one of the mechs slammed into the glass protecting their control room.

“Are you sure about that?” Garrus asked, moving to follow Shepard as she stormed towards the stairway down.

The part emerged into the chamber only to be met by destruction. The two mechs next to the chamber were nothing more than wrecks. Another stood by the back wall, the upper half of its torso torn off and visible through a hole in the room’s thick walls, leading to the bowels of the ship.

“We need to capture Jack and get off this ship before it falls apart,” Miranda commented.                   

“Preferably without running into the warden,” Shepard added as she started running in the direction of Jack’s trail of destruction. “I’m not sure capturing her is going to be very effective though. We’re here to recruit her, remember?”

The rest of the ship was devolving into chaos. Riots were scattered about each deck, with the sheer number of released prisoners proving to be an overwhelming situation for the security Blue Suns security. Although originally unarmed, they appeared to have quickly equipped themselves with weapons from dead guards. Heavy Mechs were mixed into the fighting at various points, mowing down prisoner and security alike with their weaponry. The warden had taken great pride in the security of Purgatory, but now the ship was quickly being overwhelmed. Multiple decks had breached emptying three cell blocks into the vacuum of space. This continued to increase the risk of decompression as Jack continued to force her way through bulkheads.

They had almost reached the Normandy’s docking port, sprinting down a corridor against the outer hull, when the warden appeared ahead of them, flanked by a dozen Blue Suns mercenaries.

“Shepard! This is your fault. I could have sold you and lived like a king,” the turian spat. “At least I can recapture Jack.”

Jane raised a hand to keep her squad from instantly firing. “You’re nothing but a two-bit slave trader and I don’t have time for you.”

“This is for the good of the galaxy. These are criminals. I do the hard things civil governments won’t!”

“And for good reason. Criminals are still people, not a commodity!” Shepard shouted as she advanced confidently towards the mercenaries.

The Blue Suns twitch nervously, looking for an exit as Shepard advanced towards them. The Warden looked back at them.

“Kill them all.”

The mercenaries quickly organized a firing line, but the corridor offered little cover and none of them appeared to be biotics. Miranda and Jacob however were able to provide a strong defensive barrier, in addition to the superior generators in each of their armour. In combination with their far more organized weaponry, they quickly cut down the mercenaries, leaving a very uncertain turian standing at the front. The turian looked around, noticing his surroundings and threw his rifle to the ground.

“I surrender.” He attempted to back away before tripping over one of the fallen mercenaries.

Shepard walked up to the turian, now kneeling on the floor.

“You can’t kill me,” he stated. “I’ll come quietly.”

“I don’t like slavers,” Shepard stated, raising her pistol. “And I definitely don’t take them as prisoners.” She fired two shots into the turian’s skull. “Let’s go get Jack.”

“Shepard, what was…?” Miranda trailed off as Jane hurried in the direction of the docking port. “That was very out of character.”

The rest of the group followed Shepard to the docking port. As reached the docking arm, they came face to face with Jack. The woman was furious, punching the air as she switched her glare between the Normandy and the approaching team.

“What the hell do you want?!”

“My name is Shepard. I came here to take you off of this ship.” Shepard tried to stay calm, despite this woman’s threatening posture. She came here for Jack’s help, and she was going to make sure she got it.

Biotic energy rippled across Jack’s skin. “I’m not going anywhere with Cerberus!” The prisoner charged straight for Shepard, her body ablaze with energy.

Shepard’s squad dove for cover, each trying to get out of the woman’s path. Shepard, however, stood her ground. She met Jack with both arms out bracing, summoning her own energy, willing it to push Jack back. The two collided in a blinding flash. A shockwave of violet light threw the two of them apart, knocking each of them to the ground. The rest of Jane’s team moved to attack her.

“Stop. We’re not going to shoot her,” Shepard ordered. She turned her attention back to Jack as she climbed back to her feet, watching as Jack did the same, her teeth bared. “I’m not Cerberus. We’re just working together to stop the Collectors.”

“With them, for them. I don’t care,” Jack spat. “You show up in a Cerberus ship, trying to take me somewhere. You think I’m stupid?”

“You are arguing with someone offering to take you off this prison. The prison you destroyed by the way. I doubt it’s going to survive more than a few more hours before it breaks apart,” Shepard pointed out, crossing her arms. “We can get you to safety and I’m _asking_ for your help.”

“We could just knock her out,” Miranda commented. Shepard gave her a glare in response.

“I’d like to see you try,” Jack said through gritted teeth.

Shepard sighed. “Just tell me what it’s going to take. These has to be something you want. Something you’ll agree to work with us for.”

Jack glared at Shepard for a moment before shifting her gaze to Miranda. “I bet your ship’s got lots of Cerberus databases. I want every file on me! That’s my price.”

“Deal,” Shepard stated without a second though. “I’ll give you full access.”

“Shepard, you’re not authorized to do that!” Miranda objected.

“Ooh, it upset the cheerleader,” Jack mocked. “Even better!” She looked back to Shepard. “You better be straight up with me.”

Shepard nodded. “Move out.”

Everyone rushed onto the ship, but Shepard waited by the airlock. She stopped Miranda before she could board, pulling her to one side. “Don’t question me like that again. If you have a problem with something I do, bring it to me in private. Not in front of _my_ team.” She ordered.

Miranda looked her back in the eye. “Understood, _Commander._ ”

Shepard moved to let Miranda through the airlock before following and finding herself face to face with Jack.

“You better be straight up with me,” Jack said through gritted teeth. The threat was obvious.

Shepard gave her a single nod in response.

“Then what the hell are we waiting for?”

* * *

 

“Welcome on board the Normandy Jack. I’m Miranda, Shepard’s second in command.”

Jane lent idly on the large table occupying the centre of the conference room while Miranda was lecturing Jack.

“On this ship, we follow orders.”

“Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back of Shepard,” Jack snapped. “I’m here because of our deal.”

Shepard couldn’t help but to grin. “Miranda will give you full access. Let me know what you find.”

Jack game Miranda a wide grin, giving her an almost demonic appearance. “Hear that precious? We’re going to be friends! You, me and every embarrassing little secret!” She backed away from the Cerberus agent, crossing her arms and looking at Shepard. “I’ll be reading down in the hold, or somewhere near the bottom. I don’t like a lot of through traffic. And it’d be better if you keep your people off me.”

Miranda waited until Jack had left the room and the door sealed. “This was a mistake. She’s going to be a problem.”

“You mean the incredibly powerful, volatile, high security prisoner that Cerberus had me _collect_ might be a problem?” Shepard queried, giving Miranda a smug smile. “It’s obvious that this isn’t going to be a normal team. You’re providing me with dossiers on vigilantes, criminals and everything in-between. They’re the best at what they do, not the best soldiers.”

“It doesn’t matter what they are. If we can’t trust them to follow orders and-“

“That’s why you’ve got me,” Shepard snapped. “You needed a team leader that could save the galaxy, do the impossible, destroy the reapers. For that I need the best. She doesn’t like Cerberus? News flash, Miranda, I don’t like Cerberus!”

“We’ve got other biotics. Jacob, myself, you,” Miranda sighed. “And there’s more biotic capable individuals we’re looking into. Multiple races, each with their own talents.”

Shepard frowned. “Can you honestly stand there and tell me that they have as much sheer power as what we saw from Jack today?”

“No, I can’t,” Miranda reluctantly admitted. “Jack appears to bring an incredible amount of destruction with her, even if she is lacking… finesse.”

“Then she stays,” Shepard stated, closing the issue to further discussion.

Miranda pursed her lips for several moments in thought before speaking again. “What of the Krogan we brought on-board?”

“I guess we should open it up and see if he’ll join the crew. Without Zaeed, we’re down a heavy hitter,” Shepard shrugged, “and they don’t come much heavier than krogan.”

“And what if he decides to tear a hole in the side of the hull?”

“The armoury’s on my way,” Shepard muttered before walking out of the conference room.

* * *

 

“How’s out cargo doing EDI? Is everything stable?” Shepard asked as she stepped into the Normandy’s port cargo bay, firmly gripping the carnifex pistol in her hand, just in case.

“Integration with on-board systems seamless. All power functions have been taken over by the ship’s grid,” EDI replied.

Shepard relaxed, letting the hand holding her pistol hang by her side. “What about him? Anything unusual?”

“The subject is, physically, an exceptional example of the krogan species, with fully formed primary, secondary and tertiary organs, where applicable. No defects of any kind, apart from the genetic markers o the genophage present in all krogan. I have no information regarding his mental functioning.”

“I guess it’s safe to say he could be dangerous, but is there any indication if he’s hostile?”

“I’m afraid I have insufficient data to answer. Okeers technology could impart data, not method of thinking. The subject may know of his views, but would not necessarily share them.”

“Is he awake in that tank? Does he know where he is?”

“Unlikely. Current neural patterns indicate minimal cognition.”

Shepard paused to stare at the krogan “Stand by. I’m going to open the tank and let him out. It’s time to meet our latest candidate.”

“Commander! Cerberus protocol is very clear regarding untested alien technology.”

“I’m not Cerberus,” Shepard stated before pressing the release on the tank. She stepped back, planting herself in front of the tank.

The tank shifted in its housing, moving upright as the fluid in the tank drained. The krogan contained within it began to twitch, stirring into consciousness. He gagged, forcing fluid up out of its lungs as the front of the tank opened up, dropping its contents to the floor in front of Shepard.

The large krogan struggled to lift itself on untested limbs. Shepard took several cautious steps forwards. It blinked, opening its eyes as it rose to its full height, towering above Shepard. Its eyes locked onto hers and focussed. Shepard braced herself as they creature let out a deep roar and charged. She grunted as the two of them slammed into a stack of containers behind her.

“H-Human. Female,” the krogan growled with an unpractised tongue. “Before you die, I need a name.”

“I’m Commander Shepard, and I don’t take threats lightly. I suggest you relax.” Jane said in a warning tone around the korgan’s thick, armoured arm pinning her to the crates by her neck.

“Not your name. Mine,” the krogan corrected, an innocence questioning in its voice. “I am trained, I know things, but that tank… Okeer couldn’t implant connection. His words are hollow. Warlord, legacy, grunt… grunt…” the Krogan appeared to smile. “ ** _Grunt_** was among the last. It has no meaning. It’ll do. I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me.”

“Why do you want me to kill you?”

“Want? I do what I’m meant to – fight and reveal the strongest,” Grunt stated. “Nothing in the tank ever asked what I want. I feel nothing for Okeer’s clan or his enemies. That imprint failed. He has failed. Without any reason, one fight is as good as any other. Might as well start with you.”

Shepard grinned. “I have a good ship and a strong crew. You’d make it stronger.”

“If you’re weak and choose weak enemies, I’ll have to kill you.”

“No threat of that. Our enemies have every advantage.”

Grunt growled thoughtfully for a moment. “That’s… acceptable. I’ll fight for you.”

“I’m glad you saw reason,” Shepard stated, shifting the carnifex she had pressed against a joint in the krogan’s armour.

Grunt barked a laugh, stepping back and releasing his grip on the commander. “Offer one arm, but arm the other. Wise, Shepard.”

“I’m not the only member of this crew.” Jane looked over to Jacob and Garrus that had been positioned in the doorway into the ship, each hesitantly lowering their arms as the krogan backed down.

Grunt huffed. “If I find a clan, if I find what I… _want_ , I will be honoured to pit them against you.”

“Glad to have you on board, Grunt.” Shepard offered a hand out.

The krogan huffed and turned away. “Let me know when there’s something to fight!”

Shepard walked out of the storage bay towards Garrus and Jacob. “See if you can have the galley sort some food out for him. Krogan aren’t known for being picky, but it should go a long way towards winning a little loyalty.” She paused after the door closed behind her. “And have someone watch the door, discretely. Let me know if he leaves the cargo bay.”

“Aye Commander,” Jacob replied before hurrying off to follow orders.

Garrus gave her glance. “Another krogan. Hope you don’t have to go head to head with this one like Wrex.”

“He was just born, Garrus. He’s got no personal experience. He’s going to develop fighting alongside us, for the good of the galaxy.” Jane shrugged. “At least he’s more predictable than Jack. Speaking of which, I should really go see where she’s settling in. EDI?”

“Subject Zero appears to be habituating in the lower sub deck in engineering, located between the Normandy’s fuel tanks,” EDI obligingly answered.

“You’re on your own with that one. This time, I will be setting up a bunk in the main battery if you need me Shepard. Time to get a good look at the job Cerberus did rebuilding this ship,” Garrus said in parting as he stepped into the awaiting lift nearby.  “Just don’t let her warp a hole in the hull.”

Jane rolled her eyes as she stepped through the nearest door into the ship’s engineering section. “EDI, can you give me directions?”

“The sub deck is located immediately below the main catwalk for the drive core. It is accessible by a stairwell located eight metres ahead on the right.”

“Thanks EDI,” Shepard replied, cautiously slipping down the stairwell.

The sub deck was primarily used for storing spare parts and had only minimal lighting. The floor was mostly a metal grate and it seemed to vibrate with the hum of the drive core. Despite all of this, Jack speared to be quickly making herself at home. Several boxes had been rearranged, separating one corner off from most of the space, a portable lamp had been hung from the grated floor of the engineering catwalk, and a portable cot had been assembled beneath it. Sat on that cot studying a data pad, still wearing the same baggy uniform and leather straps as when they found her, was Jack.

The convict looked up as Shepard entered the small space. “Hey.”

“That’s a lot warmer welcome than you gave me on Purgatory,” Shepard said.

Jack held up one of the pads. “You’re holding up your end of the bargain. Figure I’d better hold up mine.”

Jane gave her a small smile. “So how are you?”

“Still learning about me,” Jack shrugged. “Thanks for letting me look at these files.”

“What’s in them?”

“Your friends at Cerberus are into some nasty things. I’m going to find something I can use. I just know it.”

“What if the answers aren’t what you expect?”

“I’m not looking for answers. I’m looking for names, dates, places.”

“And then?”

“I go hunting. Everyone that screwed with me, everyone responsible pays. Their associates pay. Their friends pay,” Jack said grinning. “The galaxy’s going to be a lot emptier by the time I’m done.”

“I’m not going to let you go on a killing spree,” Shepard stated.

“I’m here for your mission. What I do afterwards is my business,” Jack said dismissively.

Shepard sighed, crossing her arms as she leant back against one of the sturdier crates. “What’s your deal with Cerberus?”

“They… _raised_ me in a research facility. I escaped when I was a kid. Been on the run ever since.” Jack pushed herself up off the bed to start packing erratically. “They’ve been chasing me ever since. But soon, I’m going to chase them!”

“You think about this a lot, do you?” Shepard asked.

Jack backed into the shadows. “I go to sleep with this. I wake up with it. It is me. Everyone I kill, I pretend it’s the ones that did this to me.”

“There’s plenty of room on the crew deck. You don’t have to live down in this pit you know.”

“It’s dark, quiet and hard to find. That spells safety to me.” Jack slowly walked out of her corner, a grin across her face. “You know, this ship is a powerhouse. You could go pirate, live like a queen. I could help.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Think about it. When this is done we’ll be dead, or out here, in space. With this ship.” She leapt onto one of the nearby containers. “Think about it: lots of creds. Freedom to go wherever you want. All the mayhem and fighting I could want.”

“What is it about killing that fascinates you so much?”

“Every time they die, my chances of surviving go up. That’s one less person trying to kill me. Simple.”

Shepard pushed herself off of the containers. “I should go.”

“Whatever,” Jack huffed, dropping onto the cot.

Jane made a quick exit, determined not to look back at the convict now dwelling on board her ship.

Her team had expanded by two new members today. She had known when the Illusive Man had put this mission in front of her that she wouldn’t like the terms. The stakes were far too risky and everyone else had control of what was available to her.

Shepard was hardly use to thinking inside the box. It was her ability to look at an impossible problem and find the solution no one else had thought of that had earnt her N7 proficiency. The ability think outside the box. Her mission against Saren had proven that a team didn’t need to be military personnel to work effectively together. To provide the necessary skills and traits. Jack may have been the most powerful human biotic, but her criminal history and apparent mental instability left her far from predictable as a team member.

Lost in thought, Shepard found herself stepping off of the Normandy’s elevator outside her quarters. Running a hand through the short mess of hair beginning to cover her head, she let out a breath, steeling her determination.

“If you want give me the people I want, I’ll just have to get them anyway.” She locked the door as she entered her quarters. “EDI, how much Cerberus data do I have access to?”

“Shepard. Cerberus’s cells each operate in isolation to ensure the security of each-”

“Fine, but how much can I access please, EDI.”

“As a member of the Lazarus cell, you have limited access to information and records gathered by Project Lazarus, as well as comprehensive data deemed useful to the cell. This data is made up of text, video and holographic logs, as well as research data and budget reports.”

“Perform a search on all available material, cross referencing ‘Liara T’Soni’ and ‘Shadow Broker’.” Shepard moved into the small office space with her data terminal.

EDI paused to gather the results. “There are two thousand eight hundred and twenty nine results referencing those terms, and variations.”

“Fuck,” Jane cursed, bowing her head. “Download all results to my terminal and catalogue them based on content and subject. How long EDI?”

“Extranet connection in this section of the Terminus is incomplete. While at FTL, on our current course, I estimate a complete download will take approximately seven hours thirty four minute and six-”

“Thank you EDI,” Shepard interrupted. “Could you please-“

 _“Commander, there’s an urgent call coming in from the Illusive Man,”_ Miranda’s voice unexpectedly announced over the comm.

Shepard’s het hit the desk. “ **Fuck!** ”

_“He’s connected in the conference room.”_

“Miranda, I’ll be right there.” Jane replied. “EDI, does he know about that down load?”

“All access to the databases are logged.”

“Damn it!” Jane cursed as she walked back out of her quarters.


	38. On the Horizon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere have I claimed that I'm good at frequent updates. That is my only defence.
> 
> I hope this chapter makes up for my apparent absence.

Shepard stood impatiently as the elevator moved down to the CIC, tapping her foot constantly on the floor.

_It’s not like he can do anything to me. He needs me to cooperate._

Once the elevator came to a halt, the doors opened into the CIC.

_He gave me the access to that data._

Shepard gave Jacob what she hoped was a friendly nod as she passed him in the armoury.

_He’s invested Billions of credits in keeping me alive. He needs me._

The large table had already receded into the floor, giving Jane access to the QEC pad.

_And he knows I’m only tolerating him._

The lights in the conference room dimmed as the holographic display rose around her, bringing the familiar image of the Illusive Man into view, sat in the same chair in front of the same star, smoking what might as well have been the same cigarette.

_He might even be willing to give me some details to keep me on board._

“Shepard. I think we have them! Horizon, a colony in the Terminus Systems, just went silent. If it isn’t under attack, it soon will be.”

_This isn’t about me searching for Liara?_

“Has Professor Solus delivered a countermeasure for the seeker swarms yet?”

"Err...." Shepard straightened up, making sure to push her shock aside and focus on the immediate needs. “No, not yet.”

“Let’s hope he works well under pressure. Lieutenant Moreau is plotting a course, but he insisted on your order before enacting any course changes.”

“That sounds like Joker,” Shepard smirked. “We’ll change course immediately.”

“There is something else you should know.” The Illusive Man chose this mam to take a long dragon his cigarette. “One of your former crew, Ashley Williams is stationed on Horizon.”

Shepard paused to activate her omni-tool. “Joker, set in a course for Horizon. Fast as you can, and bring us in under stealth.”

_“Aye, aye, Commander. Course laid in.”_

Jane shifted her attention back to the Illusive Man. “Last I knew, Ash was Alliance. What’s she doing out in the Terminus Systems?”

“Officially it’s an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the Terminus Colonies. But they’re up to something. Since they sent Chief Williams, it must be big. Perhaps you should take it up with her.”

Shepard crossed her arms. “The Collectors just happen to pick a colony with her on it? I’m not buying it.”

“It shouldn’t be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you, especially if they’re working for the Reapers. They might be going after her to get to you.”

Jane frowned. “We’ll update you on what we find.”

“This is the most warning we’ve ever had, Shepard. Good luck,” The Illusive Man said before closing the connection.

Shepard didn’t wait for the interface to lower to the ground before she left the conference room and heading into the Normandy’s lab facilities. Mordin was the sole occupant, standing front of a sealed isolation chamber.

“Mordin, please tell me you’ve got something?” Shepard asked on entering.

Mordin jumped, clearly startled, but grinned when he turned to face her. “Shepard! Just in time. Quick. Need control group. Observe sample reaction.” He quickly waved her towards the isolation chamber.

Inside was a single large four legged insect, hovering lazily in the centre.

“Sample. Collected from the last colony. Cerberus team found it trapped in prefab.”

They both flinched as the insect slammed into the glass, flying towards Shepard.

“And no one found one of these before?” Jane asked before it made another attack at the glass.

“Any number of possible reasons this was the first found. Small, easily overlooked, fast,” the salarian theorised. “Perhaps no one simply knew what they were looking for until you found footage. Important thing, test sample.”

The insect hit the glass once again. Each time it had been focussed on flying towards Shepard and appeared to be completely oblivious to Mordin.

“So, you’re testing something now?” Jane ventured.

“Since capture, has constantly been trying to escape. Trying to get to anyone nearby. Even through solid enclosed containers. No way to see anyone nearby.” Mordin paused for a breath. “Scans indicate extreme sensitivity to electric fields. Able to sense even the smallest changes. Neural Impulses, for example.”

Jane gave the salarian a doubtful glance. “You’re saying these things find people using by detecting neural impulses in the air?”

“No. Electric fields. Pass through almost anything.” Mordin tapped the isolation chamber. “Including glass.”

Shepard took several steps to the side, watching as the bug followed her. “But it’s not interested in you?”

“Bio field dampener,” Mordin exclaimed, pointing towards a flat metal box strapped around his waist. “Hides field detected by swarms. Spent days trying to get me. Had to confirm it stopped because of the dampener.”

“This is fantastic. Mordon, can you make enough of these for everyone in the squad? 4 humans, a turian and krogan? We’re on route to a colony we think is under attack.”

“Will get to work!” Mordin declared. “Ongoing attack, lots of data. Will need samples.”

* * *

“How long left?” Shepard asked Joker over the comm as she stepped off the elevator again.

 _“We’re still an hour out from the relay to Iera, Commander,”_ Joker replied.

“Let me know before we jump,” Shepard ordered as she entered her quarters. Her gaze passed over her assault rifle that had appeared propped against her fish tank.

She’d spent the last hour ensuring that every member of her squad knew everything she did about the situation they were about to drop into, including explaining to Grunt three times that she didn’t know what a collector’s head being shot with a shotgun sounded like. Jack had appeared to almost be high at the prospect of getting to kill something, and Garrus simply continued cleaning his rifle. Miranda had already informed Jacob and started writing up a report on each member of the team’s pre-combat routines.

Relieved that everyone was making their own preparations, Shepard had returned to her quarters to begin studying the intelligence on the colony. It was only as she sat at her desk that her eye spotted the rifle that had been missing for almost a week, even before they’d obtained the pod containing Grunt. Cautiously, she moved over to pick it up, shaking her head as she examined it and pulling a cleaning kit out of her desk.

“Who left you there I wonder?” She went back to studying the intel as she set about cleaning the rifle.

* * *

“Breaking atmosphere,” the pilot announced. “Hold on to your seats!”

Grunt laughed as the shuttle shook.

 _“Interference is present on this channel,”_ EDI’s stated. _“The source appears to be the central courtyard of the colony. All communications outside the system have been blocked.”_

“Have they detected us yet?” Jacob asked.

_“There is currently no signs of anti-air activity. Your approach is clear.”_

“EDI, is there any way we can maintain ground to orbit communications?” Miranda asked.

_“The colony transmitter should have enough power to- -through the inter- -retarg-”_

“There goes the connection,” Jane sighed. “Try to keep together on the ground. We’ll probably lose short range communication on the ground, meaning we’ll be dependent on line of sight and audible range. Kasumi, you’re the exception.”

Kasumi flickered out of sight as he cloak activated in her seat. “They’ll never see me.”

The shuttle shuddered as it dropped below the roofs of the colony. Shepard hit the door release.

“Find cover!” She was the first one on the ground.

They had landed in the grounds of one of the colony’s main schools. Its location, surrounded by taller residential structures, had kept their approach hidden. It was evening on the colony, so Shepard had hoped the building would be clear of people, but so far they hadn’t seen anyone moving on approach. Two things, however, had been clearly visible from the air. The collector vessel, towering over the colony, and swarms of seekers covering the colony. Waves burst through and around buildings as they swept the colony.

“You’re sure this shit will keep us safe?” Jack asked Mordin, not bothering to find cover as she gripped the shotgun she’s chosen from the ship’s armoury.

Mordin had compacted his dampeners, allowing most members of the team to simply insert it in their armour. Jack however, due to her lack of armour and refusal to wear any of it, was forced to have it hanging from the heavy belt holding a baggy pair of cargo pants up.

“Certainty impossible. But, in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to the swarms,” Mordin explained.

“Should?” Jack didn’t look convinced

“Experimental Technology. Only real test is contact with seeker swarms. Will be sure to improve upon technology with any data from mission.”

“Just don’t do anything to piss them off,” Shepard ordered. “Grunt, that means don’t shoot at them!”

The krogan lowered his gun and head, almost as though the krogan was sulking. He had been watching a swarm moving close to them above a three story stack of prefabs.

“The Collector ship is in the centre of the colony. We need a find a way to disable it and stop the Collectors from taking the colonists.” Shepard got up from behind her cover and waved for the team to follow her. Kasumi was already absent from the group. Shepard had noted that she didn’t appear to like being around other members of the team, or relying on them. Something she found surprising given the thief’s playful personality. Her scouting skills however were invaluable.

They quickly moved around the school buildings, heading towards the heart of the colony. Although they tried to keep their visibility minimal, Jack and Grunt weren’t showing even the slightest effort to avoid detection. They reached the yard exit without difficulty, although a hum was becoming audible in the distance. As they passed between several deserted residential buildings the noise became noticeable louder.

“What is that?” Garrus eventually asked.

He was answered by Kasumi decloaking beside him. “There’s scouts incoming, flying. Guess they aren’t too happy we stopped by.”

“These bugs have wings. Everyone in the buildings. We’ll form a crossfire as they past. Garrus, Miranda, Grunt, on the right,” Shepard ordered. “Mordin, Jack, Jacob, with me. Kasumi, get eyes on them.”

The thief began climbing up a nearby wall before cloaking as she shimmied up the gap between two prefabs. The remainder of the team took up position overlooking the road they had been using into the colony. Keeping out of site, although Grunt had taken some convincing by Garrus, they waited.

“Targets in sight,” Kasumi eventually announced over a fuzzy comm link. “Two hundred metres out.  Flying level with the third story. One hundred metres. Seven hostiles. Fifty metres. Twenty. Ten…”

“Fire!” Shepard ordered.

Flashes of gunfire and biotics flooded the street. Three of the Collectors fell in the first volley, each crashing with a crunch into the ground. The remaining four sought cover. Three touched down on the ground, finding shelter in the lower floors of the buildings. One ended with a single shot from a shotgun, followed by the deep laughter of a Krogan. The other two were thrown back out into the open by Jack’s shockwave, where Garrus and Shepard executed them with a shot each. The fourth had taken vantage on the roof before being simply dispatched by the unseen Kasumi with a disabling surge of electricity and a single bullet to the creature’s head.

“Seven down.” Jacob stepped back out into the open.

“There’s a lot more than that. Their ship’s at least the size of a cruiser. There could be thousands on board.” Shepard followed with Mordin and Jack right behind.

“Curious,” Mordin said moving to inspect the remains of one of the Collectors. “Natural armour. Far denser than any known insect. Thickest on the chest. Weakest around the neck, eyes and upper legs. Large gaps between plates on the rear.”

“Interesting weaponry too,” Garrus observed. “Directed beams.”

“We should collect some to study further. We need to learn more about them.” Miranda suggested.

“They die if you shoot them,” Grunt bellowed. “That’s all I need to know.”

 “Thanks for the tips Mordin, but we need to get moving.” Shepard looked up at the giant ship in the distance. “I’d rather get as far as we can before they mount a defence. And, give them as little time as possible to take people.”

* * *

“I never wanted to see these things again!” Garrus shouted after putting a shot through the skull of a husk.

Shepard emptied a clip into one charging for her. “They still die the same!”

Grunt charged at the last collector while Jacob and Miranda kept it pinned down. He knocked it back and into the wall of a prefab before raising his shotgun. The shot struck the creature in the head, shredding the bone and cartilage, spraying the soft tissue over the white wall. Grunt let out a small laugh. “Heh heh. It squelched.”

“That’s just disturbing.” Jacob cringed at Grunt’s joy.

“I guess this proved it,” Miranda sighed. “The geth got the technology to make husks from Sovereign.”

“Shit, so the Illusive Man was right. The Collectors answer to the reapers,” Jack gasped. She frowned when Miranda gave her a shocked look. Shepard and Garrus were looking at each other, slightly impressed. “Fuck you, Cheerleader. I read the files. Guess this answers what happened to the colonists.”

“Husks before were made on spikes the geth had. They impaled them. We haven’t seen any.” Garrus looked up to the ship. “They brought the husks here.”

“And they’re taking the colonists with them, alive.” Jane shook her head. “We need to stop them from taking any more. Let’s move out.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Miranda replied.

Shepard froze in the middle of un-holstering her rifle. “Miranda, no. Just… no.”

Jack couldn’t resist sniggering.

“Move out,” Shepard barked again, bringing the stock of her rifle to her shoulder.

They ran into another group of Collectors and husk in the next clearing in the colony. This group had been moving pods out of the surrounding buildings and sending them back towards the collector vessel. The pods stacked up against the sides of the buildings were empty, each large enough to hold an adult. Presumably, the ones they had been taking weren’t.

These drones didn’t prove any more of a challenge than the two groups before. They did however manage to slow the team down. Once the last was lying dead in the mud, they were finally able to take stock of the situation.

Miranda was the first to speak as the group gathered. “They were people… In those… coffins.”

“They were the colonists. See if anyone’s left. Check the buildings,” Shepard ordered.

The team split up, checking the nearby buildings for anyone that the Collectors might not have had time to take. Jack had barely bothered to move, leaning just inside the nearest prefab, and Shepard was fairly sure that Kasumi would be unable to resist her kleptomania every time she saw something of value. The first one to say anything was Grunt.

“I found one. It’s not moving,” the krogan bellowed without using his radio. “It’s looking at me.”

“Grunt! Just wait there!” Shepard sprinted into the nearest building in the direction of Grunt’s voice. “Mordin!”

“Coming, Shepard. Chance to analyse victim.”

Jane groaned with her comm off. “Can’t he do just a little empathy? Sympathy? Mild concern?”

Passing through the prefab, she found Grunt nose to nose with the colonist. They appeared to be frozen in some form of energy field, their eyes moving frantically between Grunt and Shepard. Grunt, however, appeared to be sniffing them.

“Smells funny. Wrong.”

“Don’t worry. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re here to help.”

Mordin arrived moments later, panting as he climbed the steps. “Fascinating. Localised stasis field. Contained to victims body. Renders them unable to move. Leaves them conscious.”

“Can we get her out of it?”

“Tagged by seeker swarms. Collector vessel likely source of stasis.”

“There’s two more upstairs.” Miranda joined them as she walked out onto the stairway, closely followed by Jacob.

“The only thing we can do for them is fight off the Collectors. If we disable that ship, cripple its power source, we can save the colonists.”

“I guess we’re going to need some really big rifles,” Garrus stated, his sniper over one shoulder as he leant against the prefab above them.

“Is anyone else curious why there’s a small hanger on the other side of the colony with an Alliance emblem on it?” Kasumi de-cloaked leaning against Jacob’s muscular arm. “Mmm. Nice, marine.”

Shepard turned back to the colonist in front of them. “We’ll save you. I promise.” She looked back at Kasumi. “Show me.”

* * *

“They’re guarding it? Why the hell would they be guarding it?” Shepard asked as the stared down the barrel of her sniper rifle. She and Garrus were on the top floor of a building being used as office space overlooking the entrance of the Alliance hanger. The building appeared to be locked down, with the entrances into both the storage facility and landing pad sealed. Outside of it, a group of more than a dozen Collectors had gathered.

“I’m not sure they’re guarding it,” Garrus commented. “Look at the scorching on the door. I think they’re trying to get in.”

“Then we need to get in there. Anything they want is something we need to stop them from having.”

“We can get a crossfire set up. The parking lot should provide enough cover from the east.”

“South west has stacked cargo. Looks like basic supplies. No munitions.” Shepard lowered her rifle and looked over to Garrus. “Take Jacob and Jack. Wait for my signal.”

“You got it. They won’t know which turian got them.”

Shepard couldn’t help but smile as the two of them went back down from the roof. They split up, each taking their group with them as they silently flanked around the enemy position. Across the opposite side, the large form of Grunt could be seen moving towards the car bays outside the Alliance hanger. Garrus and Jack were far harder to pick out as they ducked between the vehicles.

One they were in position, the first shots were fired. Shepard stripped the barriers from an exposed drone, before Miranda and Mordin killed it with a shot each to its head. A wave of gunfire and biotics followed, sweeping across the Collectors. Jack’s shockwave managed to force one of the Collectors out from behind their cover where Grunt and Jacob’s shotguns made quick work of it.

 **“I am assuming direct Control!”** a metallic voice boomed.

Shepard felt a shiver run through her. “Where the fuck did that come from?” She shouted slamming her back into a container and struggling to breath.

“Where did what come from?” Jacob asked.

Shepard didn’t get a chance to answer before a flash of light caught their attention. One drone towards the back of the group was being suspected a metre above the ground and appeared to be resisting something. Streams of dark energy burst from the creature flesh, engulfing it in a flash if red light. Shepard looked back around to find that the creature was now back on the ground. It appeared to have grown significantly taller than the other drones. The armoured plates appeared to be charred black, as red light and dark energy emanated from the exposed flesh between them.

**“You will know pain Shepard!”**

“That thing’s talking!” Shepard shouted.

Jacob Looked between Miranda and Mordin. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Shit that’s hot,” Shepard cursed, pulling at her glove.

“What’s wrong?” Mordin asked a few moments of watching Shepard puzzled.

Miranda and Jacob continued laying fire and biotic attacks on the Collectors, while the roars and cheers of Grunt drowned any other noise from the parking lot.

“My hand’s burning,” Shepard cursed. She pulled her glove off to show undamaged skin. “What in the-” Shepard didn’t finish her sentence before a raw scream tore its way through Shepard’s throat. Her eyes clamped shit as she began frantically pulling at the parts of her armour.

Miranda glanced between Shepard and the controlled collector that was advancing towards them. “It’s hacking her. Take it out.” She threw a warp field into the monstrosity, bringing down its barrier.

Barrages of gunfire continued hitting it, impacting the plates of the enhanced drone, barely slowing it down. Shepard gritted her teeth and pushed herself up get a line of sight on the collector. She reached for her shotgun. As she raised it to aim, a high velocity round struck it in the back of the head, blowing softer tissue out the front of its skull.

Gasping for breath, Shepard collapsed forward. The collector quickly disintegrated as uncontrolled dark energy surged through it.

“We heard a scream. Is everyone okay?” Garrus asked, running towards them clutching his rifle. Jack and Grunt were close behind.

“Everyone appears fine. No physical injuries. Problematic revelation however. Singled out Shepard.” Mordin replied. “Curious.”

Jane struggled to her feet as she pulled her glove back on and closed clips she’d managed to undo. “Do you have any idea what that was?”

“I have a guess,” the Cerberus agent replied with no certainty. “But I’ll need to so an analysis once we’re back on the Normandy to be sure.”

Shepard sighed. “Fine. We’ve still got a mission to complete first. Any guesses why they’re so interested in this hanger?” she asked as they approached it.

“The alliance could be shipping weapons,” Jack replied, .

“Or platinum,” Kasumi chirped in as she uncloaked in front of the locked door.

Jacob couldn’t help but laughed. “Unlikely. So far they’ve only been interested in colonists. They haven’t even been taking resources.”

“Can you get this open, Kasumi?” Shepard asked the hooded thief.

“You do know who you’re talking to, right?” She asked as the door lit up and slid open.

“I never doubted you,” Jane replied with a grin. “Keep sharp people. “If someone is in here, that doesn’t mean they’re friendly.” She was the first to step into the building, keeping a firm grip on her gun.

The main space in the hanger was used for cargo storage, with a small control room overlooking it. A few crates were stacked up next to the side wall, marked as food and supplies. Large doors on the far side opened up onto the landing pad, allowing access for freight and personnel. Shepard quietly surveyed the area, her footsteps the only noise breaking the silence.

“Is someone in here? We’re here to help.”

“Looks empty.” Grunt stomped in afterwards, followed by Mordin and Miranda, while Jacob and Garrus remained outside the entrance keeping watch. Kasumi had once again cloaked.

“I’m human,” Shepard shouted into the room. The sound of metal skidding across metal came from the direction of the stacked containers. “Show yourself. We’re not going to hurt you.”

The room stayed silent for a few moments, while everyone waited expectantly.

“Found them!” Kasumi eventually shouted.

A middle aged man fell backwards from behind the containers and crashed into the metal floor. He made several frantic motions to scramble backwards until he spotted the group in the middle of the bay watching him. “What are you doing? You’ll lead them right here!”

“Pretty sure they knew you were in here, judging from the attempts to open the door. And then there was the dozen Collectors we had to shoot to get in,” Shepard replied sarcastically, holstering her gun and crossing her arms.

“Those things are Collectors? You mean they’re real?” the man asked in disbelief. “I thought they were just made up. You know – propaganda, to keep us in alliance space.”

“Collectors have been attacking colonies for months,” Miranda stated.

“No! They got Lilith. I saw her… And Sten. They got damn near everybody!”

Jane took a deep breath as they both stared at each other. “Who are you? What do you do here?”

“I’m Delan, one of the colonies mechanics. I came in here to check on the satellites after we lost out comm signal. Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and there were swarms of… insects. They just… touched people and…”

“They were frozen, like the people we’ve seen outside?” Shepard offered.

Delan nodded. “I sealed the doors…” His expression darkened. “All of this… it’s the Alliance’s fault! They sent that Chief Williams here. They built those defence towers too. They made us a target!”

Shepard paused to look at Miranda, who was looking as shocked as Shepard felt, before turning back to Delan. “Chief Williams?”

“Some big Alliance type,” he shrugged. “Supposed to be some hero or something. Didn’t mean anything to me though. Rather she’d stayed in Citadel Space.”

“She’s here to set the defence towers up?”

“So the Alliance says. I recon she’s here for something else. Spying on us maybe. We had to build a massive underground generator to give the system enough juice, and now we can’t get the targeting systems online. Stupid things can’t even shoot straight.”

Shepard couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “The guns work though, right? Where are the controls?”

“You’d have to rewrite the targeting controls first. They’ve never worked right,” Delan protested.

“I think we can figure it out,” Garrus chuckled.

“Whatever, the controls are in the colonial hub building. It’s the tall one with the transmitters on the roof. You can’t miss it. All the colony’s systems are routed through it.”

Jane checked the clip in her rifle. “Lock the door behind us. Keep your head down, but if anyone else comes looking for shelter, you’d better let them in.” Shepard glared at the mechanic until he gave a scared nod. She turned back to face her squad. “If that glowing collector decides to show up again, blow his fucking head off his fucking shoulders!”

* * *

 _“New hostile spotted,”_ Kasumi warned over a static filled line. _“It’s…”_

“We know, Kasumi. There must be at least thirty between us and that building!” Shepard shouted into her helmet as threw a grenade into the path of five husks that were making a break towards Garrus’s perch on stairwell.

_“No, there’s some kind of new husk coming towards you. It’s… worse.”_

“What could be worse than reanimated corpses?”

**“Your attacks are futile.”**

“Enhanced on the field!” Shepard shouted as her grenade detonated, throwing grey flesh into the air. She reached for her shotgun.

**“I will show you true power.”**

Jane looked out from behind the collector pods she was crouched behind. Her shotgun followed her line of sight. She fired as a collector drone filled the crosshair. Before the first had hit the ground, Shepard had the barrel pointed at a second collector and fired. The blast deflected off of the drone’s barrier as Shepard fired again, this time blowing a hole through the creature’s torso. The final shot in the clip went towards the enhanced collector as it walked out into view, firing towards Miranda’s position. It turned to face her as Jane’s shot hit its barriers. Without pausing, it threw a ball of glowing red dark energy towards her.

 _Why is that red?_ Jane dropped back behind her cover. “Biotic!”

The ball of energy detonated on the pods with a strong blast of energy. Shepard stumbled back several feet as the wave pushed her out of cover. She threw an arm up to protect herself, and a barrier along with it before making it into position behind an elevated garden holding a small tree. Her attention was pulled away at the sound of a gruesome wail from between two nearby buildings.

“Kasumi, you were right,” Jane gulped.

The husk like creature approaching them was clearly created from humans, but was twisted almost beyond recognition. The primary body was clearly defined, with the left arm absent and the whole body leaning to the right, almost crushed beneath what resembled a large bladder, filled with pulses of eezo, produced from another body fused onto the back of the first. The missing limb was replaced with what appeared to be a large cannon, formed what use to be one last person.

“Jack, Grunt. I want that thing turning to dust!” The only response was a war cry as Grunt charged headlong at the new creature. Shepard however, flinched, dropping her shotgun as it began to feel increasingly hot in her grasp. “Fuck! Not again!” She pulled her assault rifle back out. “Garrus!” Her shots sprayed the enhanced’s barrier until it failed. “Between the eyes!”

A single shot flew overhead, hitting the collector in the front of the skull, obliterating the face of the creature before the remains disintegrated in ripples of energy.

**“This body does not matter. It is merely a vessel.”**

“Shepard, it’s taken a drone at the edge of the field,” Garrus announced before firing a round through the head of one husk and crippling another’s leg.

Shepard flinched as a new wave of blistering pain overwhelmed her senses. Scalding heat surged over her back. She bit down, to stop herself screaming as she clutched desperately onto the edge of the garden she was behind.

“Kasumi, do we have any more incoming?” Shepard asked through gritted teeth.

 _“There isn’t any more movement in your direction.”_ Kasumi replied over the crackles filling the comm line. _“You’ve just got what’s already engaging.”_

Shepard looked up in alarm as the hulking form of grunt was thrown over her head by a powerful shockwave, and into the branches of the tree.

“Miranda. Team B needs to go. Now!”

 _“B is go,”_ Miranda plied. _“Hold onto your tits, Jack. Help’s coming.”_

“Fuck you, cheerleader!” Jack screamed as she held a barrier to block an attack from the lumbering monstrosity.

A warp field flew in from behind the creature, striking it in the large bulbous sack on its back. Several high calibre gunshots followed, striking it in its lopsided skull as it attempted to turn and find the source of the biotic attack while Miranda advanced on her target

Jack exploited her opening by launch a warp field into its back. The skin of the creature distorted and shifted, tearing the flesh apart, before it burst, spraying out a thick fluid and large amounts of eezo. The two looked at each other as the remains collapsed to the ground between them, finding they were both covered in the puss.

“Great job,” Miranda drawled as she tried to wipe her eyes clear.

“Fuck you,” Jack repeated.

Jacob and Mordin had attacked from the other side of the field. They focussed their attack on flanking as many Collectors as possible in cover. Garrus’s perch allowed him to safeguard them from above, taking out any drones or Collectors that attempted to reposition. Grunt joined once he was back on his feet. Jack and Miranda soon followed, pissed off as they launched ranged biotic attacks at any withdrawing hostiles and blocking any biotic attacks from the enhanced. It was quickly the only one left.

Shepard’s body screamed in protest as she picked herself up. Her skin felt like it was being seared off, but she forced to focus on her target. She gripped her shotgun before launching herself forwards. She flew across the battlefield in a streak of red light, passing a ball of biotic energy that had been aimed at her. Jane slammed into the enhanced drone, knocking it back into the wall of a prefab and shoved the barrel of her shotgun into its gut. “Stay out of my head!”  Jane fired a single shot, tearing a whole through the abdomen of the oversized insect. The plating covering its torso cracked and split. Shepard stepped back as fluids poured out of the holes in the front and back of the creature.

 **“These attacks are pointless!”** It burnt up like all of the hosts before, leaving the familiar pile of ash.

“Good work,” Shepard panted. Her skin was still tingling as the sensation of burning faded. “Miranda. We are having a very serious conversation back on the Normandy.”

“Shepard, I’ve got no idea how this could be happening,” Miranda stated.

“Later. Right now we need to focus on saving this colony. That’s still our first priority.” Jane rolled her shoulders, trying to stretch out her tense muscles. “Mordin, any idea about those new husks?”

“Appear to be made from multiple sources of organic material. Weaknesses on head a vulnerable eezo sack. Evolution of standard husk. Evolution of design. Ranged attacks. Need name. Suggest… Scion?” Mordin rattled off as they ran up the last road towards the HUB.

Shepard shrugged “It’ll do.”

The colonial hub was less than a hundred metres from the landing site of the collector vessel. The front of the building protruded out into a plaza. The building appeared to have been designed with some element of dependability in mind. A single entrance was positioned facing out into the plaza on the corner of the building. The ground floor was laid out as a large reception and waiting room for the comm centre and colonial affairs. To their relief, the Collectors weren’t in sight.

“Everybody in,” Shepard ordered. “Now! Garrus, I want you as high up as you can get. Kasumi, find the transmitter, and get us connected to the Normandy. Jack, Grunt, anything steps through that door, I want it turning into pulp. Everybody else, barricade the windows. I want this building locked down.” She followed Garrus towards the stairwell. “I’ll clear the first floor.”

The first floor was all office cubicles. No Collectors were anywhere to be seen, but neither were any of the colonists. Jane reached the front of the building in time to see two scions entre the plaza from the direction of the ship. “We’ve got company. Are you done downstairs?”

 _“As ready as we’ll ever be,”_ Jacob replied.

 _“Furniture poorly constructed. Unlikely to withstand assault,”_ Mordin added.

“Garrus, are you in position?”

_“The governor has a pretty swanky corner office up here. You can see half the colony. Shame about the window.”_

Shepard looked up in time to see a shower of shattered sheet of glass falling past the window, before it shattered on the ground below. She ran back downstairs as Jacob and Miranda moved the last of the tables and benches into position covering the building’s windows, leaving only slits for the squad to fire through. “Building’s clear,” Shepard stated as she joined Miranda at the windows on the north wall of the building. “Jacob, Mordin, you’ve got west facing.”

“On it Commander,” Jacob replied as they moved into position.

“Kasumi, how’s that transmitter coming?”

“Have a little patience, Shep. I’m still realigning the transmitter. It wasn’t built for this,” the thief replied. “It’ll take a minute.”

 _“We’ve got husks,”_ Garrus announced. _“And Collectors… a lot of them.”_

“We only have to hold them off,” Shepard replied as husks flooded out from the buildings on the opposite side of the plaza. They were easily outnumbered before even considering the collector drones descending towards the plaza. “Garrus, keep them away from that transmitter.” She performed one last check on her assault rifle. “FIRE!!!”

Jane only had time to fire several bursts before Kasumi happy announced “Got it!”

“Normandy, come in. This is Shepard!” Jane shouted over the noise of their gunfire.

_“Joker here. Signal’s weak commander, but we’ve got you. And please stop trying to deafen us all. What’s the situation down there?”_

“We’re under attack, but our position’s secure. It’s time for us to show these bastards that humanity can give as good as we get,” she replied while she replaced her thermal clip. “EDI, this colony has a series of defence towers. We need you to bring them online!”

 _“Bypassing security protocols.”_ EDI paused for a moment. _“There appears to be several mathematical errors in the targeting software. They are easily corrected, however I will need time to bring the system to full power. ”_

“Don’t worry, we’re good,” Shepard replied as the first of the husks that had survived the barrage reached the building.

Jack was throwing shockwaves out of the entrance like a madwoman, sending bodies flying into the air. “We play piggy in the middle while she sorts out the batteries?”

“The more of them there are, the harder it is to miss,” Grunt laughed as he repeatedly fired his shotgun at whatever was stupid enough to charge at a krogan.

“Garrus, update on the scions?” Shepard asked before a shockwave of energy hit her barricade.  The makeshift cover was thrown back into the room, landing on top of her.

 _“Not easy working out which grey, decaying head belongs to which grey, decaying body,”_ the turian replied.

_“Initial start-up complete. Power levels at twenty-seven percent.”_

“Thanks for the update EDI,” Shepard groaned as she climbed out from underneath a table. She picked it up with her, before forcing it back into the gap, crushing a husk that had tried climbing through the gap.

_“The increasing power levels have been detected. More hostiles are on route.”_

“Desperate tactics. Not use to facing resistance,” Mordin theorised.

Miranda forced a bench in behind the table, helping secure it in position.

 _“One scion is down!”_ Garrus cheered.

One husk tried reaching in threw the hole Miranda had been shooting through, before a burst of gunfire shredded the dead flesh around the bone. “Zombies really aren’t the best choice of shock trooper,” Kasumi commented as she decloaked. “They should try berserkers, or samurai.”

“I’ll be sure to pass on the advice,” Jane laughed a she depleted another clip.

**“This delay is pointless. You struggle against the inevitable.”**

“He’s back!”

“You haven’t spilt his guts enough for him already?” Grunt laughed childishly.

“Does anyone see the enhanced?”

 _“Back of the field, next to the scion?”_ Garrus replied before firing a shot. _“Or, what use to be a scion.”_

 _“Power levels are up to forty-five percent,”_ EDI informed them. _“All errors in the software have now been repaired.”_

“Why isn’t that enhanced coming any closer?” Shepard asked as she continued firing on the slowly thinning hoard.

“Buying time?” Jacob shouted across the room.

“Unlikely. Already detected power build-up,” Mordin commented. “Awaiting reinforcements.”

“That’s reassuring,” Shepard sighed sarcastically.

 _“I have detected an airborne object leave the collector vessel.”_ EDI warned. “ _Now heading towards your position.”_

“Missile strike?”

 _“No,”_ Garrus replied. _“I’ve got line of sight. It’s too big and too slow.”_

_“Power levels are at sixty-five percent.”_

“Then what the hell is it?”

Shepard’s question was answered as a large black object impacted the ground. A cloud of dust was thrown up around it, blocking it from view. The team continued firing, taking down the last of the drones and Husks, leaving only the new arrival and the enhanced. As the dust settled, the glowing blue eyes of husks began to appear through the cloud of dirt.

“Husks!”

They team froze as four more glowing blue eyes appeared over the others. “I don’t think those are just husks.”

The lower pairs of eyes disappeared as the four eyes on top surged will brilliant blue light. It burst forwards in a beam. It scatted across the building’s walls, scorching the clean white surface. Once the attack shopped, Shepard looked back out of cover to find a large armoured, crab like monstrosity hovering over the plaza. Large metal plated covered the front of it, concealing where the husk eyes had been. Its barriers were lit up, shielding the creature from the gunfire Shepard’s squad was throwing at it.

_“Power levels at eighty percent. Syncing targeting systems with the Normandy.”_

Its barriers faded under the onslaught, leaving it vulnerable to fire. It screeched, opening the front armour as gunfire hit its armour. The horrific noise was coming the gape jaws of the husks within the creature. The whole body dropped, slamming into the ground. A bright blue barrier formed across the surface of the creature, deflecting everything that touched it. Slowly, it lifted itself up on the ends of its four fragile looking legs.

“Biotics, can you guys do anything against that thing?” Shepard asked, looking at Jacob, Miranda and Jack.

“We warping should knock its barriers out,” Jacob replied.

Jack threw a shockwave out, trying to knock it off its balance. It died on contact with its barrier. “It’s too big to start throwing around.”

“Mordin. Any guesses what’s with the heads in it?”

“At a guess, appears to be constructed from multiple humans, like scions. Using multiple nervous systems to control?” the salarian guessed.

“So those husks are, what, networked?” Shepard reasoned. Mordin thought about it for a second before shrugging. Shepard checked her belt. “Does anyone have any grenades?”

“Haven’t used any,” Grunt answered from where he and Jack were taking cover besides the door. “More fun to shoot or hit them.”

Shepard moved over to the large krogan, narrowly dodging the creature’s beam as she passed the door. With all of Grunt’s grenades in her hands, or attached to her armour, she peeked around cover at her target. “I’ve got a plan, but you need to take its barrier down. Then, give me some covering fire. Try to distract it while I get close.”

“You’re not going to run at that thing?” Miranda looked disgusted at the idea.  “I didn’t spend two years stitching you back together just for you to die doing something stupid!”

“Shepard always did have to be the hero,” Garrus mocked as he walked into the main room of the building. “You get used to it.”

Jane rolled her eyes, “Everyone ready. We need to keep this thing off balance.” She snapped a fresh thermal clip into her rifle. “Fire!”

_“Power levels are at one hundred percent. I am firing.”_

Miranda’s Jacob’s and Jack’s biotics all lit up, detonating against the barrier protecting the tank like unit. Mordin, Garrus and Grunt all fired from their cover while Shepard stepped out, charging towards it with her assault rifle kicking back as she fired continuously. She rolled across the ground to dodge a beam it fired towards her, carving a swath through the air inches above her.

Shepard pulled two grenades from her belt as she sprang back up to her feet. The creature hovered in front of her, a metre off the ground as it charged the particle lasers again. A shot from Garrus’s rifle flew over her head, penetrating its barrier and hitting the far right eye. The beam fired, swerving wildly off target.

Jane armed her grenades. With them both in her right hand she moved forwards. As she raised her arm to throw them, the beam cut down into her arm. She recoiled in pain, dropping the two grenades on the ground. Holding her right arm close, she reached out to grab at the blinking grenades. Shepard grabbed the closest as the beam stopped, but the second was too far to reach. Diving to the ground, she threw her injured arm out to reach for the second grenade. She grabbed it as blood leaked between the damaged armour plates on her forearm.

The creature above her let out another scream as her team fired a volley against it. Its jaws opened as the husk wailed. Shepard rolled onto her back, staring up as each of the husks stared down at her. She threw bother grenades with her left arm at the heads. Shepard kicked off the ground, pushing herself back towards the building as the creature crashed to the ground. Its barrier light up again as a shockwave formed, kicking Shepard up into the air. Before she had time to crash back to the ground, the grenades detonated. Fire burst from the maw of the monstrosity, carrying charred heads and flesh out of it.

It collapsed to the ground, limp, as Shepard hit dirt. Aching, she pushed herself up to her feet. Behind the now dead pile of metal and cybernetics, stood one enhanced drone, staring at her with an unwavering gaze. The sky above them was filled with light. Mass driver rounds from the colony’s turrets were crashing into the hull of the alien vessel.

“What are you?” Shepard bellowed at the alien. “Why are you doing this?”

**“I am the Harbinger. You have achieved nothing, Shepard.”**

Shepard opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the ground shaking beneath her. A boom came from the collector ship as dirt and dust began to rise around it as the ship began lifting itself off the ground. Opposite her, the collector disintegrated, reduced to ash.

“Are you okay?” Miranda asked as she stepped up next to Shepard, eying Shepard holding her arm against herself protectively.

“It’s just a scratch. The armour can take care of it.”

“Guess there’s no reason to stay,” Garrus groaned from behind her, watching as the ship gained altitude. “They got most of the colonists.”

“NO!!!”

Shepard turned around to see the mechanic they had met earlier running up the street behind them.

“Don’t let them get away!”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Shepard sighed as she stopped, panting for breath. “They’re gone.”

“Half the colony’s in there! They got Egan and Sam and… and Lilith! Do something!” The man cried.

“I didn’t want it to end this way,” Jane sighed. “We did all that we could.”

Garrus rested a clawed hand on Shepard’s shoulder. “We saved some of them Shepard.”

“Shepard?” Delan turned to face her. “Wait… I know that name. Some type of big alliance hero?”

“Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy.” Ashley Williams walked into the plaza from the direction the mechanic had come from. “The first human Spectre. Saviour of the Citadel.” She turned to face the mechanic. “You’re in the presence of a god, Delan. Back from the dead.”

“All the people we lost, and you get left behind. Figures. Screw this,” he spat as he started to leave. “I’m don with you alliance types.

“I thought you were dead, Commander,” Ash said in a whisper. “We all did!”

Shepard put a hand out to shake Ashley’s. “It’s been rough, Ash. How’ve you been?”

“That’s it? After two yours?” Ashley sounded shocked. “You show up after two years and act like it’s nothing? I would have followed you anywhere, Commander. I thought you were gone… We all… You were more than our Commander.”

“I was gone Ash.” Shepard sighed. “I was dead. You can assume that it wasn’t nothing to me. And… you’ve all moved on. A promotion. A career.”

“I did move on. Now, here you are pulling me back in,” Ash protested. “And, we’ve got reports about you and Cerberus.”

“That’s Miranda’s fault,” Shepard sighed, pointing over her shoulder at the agent.

“Reports?” Garrus asked, his interest peaked. “You mean you already knew?”

“Alliance intel said Cerberus could be behind our missing colonies. We got a tip that this one could be the next one to get hit.” Ashley explained. “I went to Anderson, but he wouldn’t talk. There were… rumours that you weren’t dead. And worse; that you were working for the enemy.”

“So the Alliance sent you here to figure out if the rumours were true?”

“They sent me here to investigate Cerberus. I hoped you were alive, but I never expected this.” Tears were starting to run down Ash’s cheeks. “You betrayed everything you stood for!”

“Ash, you know me. You know I would only do this for the right reasons. You saw what the Collectors are doing to the colonies. And they’re working with the reapers!”

“I’d like to believe you, Shepard, but I don’t trust Cerberus. And it worried me that you do. What did they do to you? What if they’re behind it? What if they’re the ones working with the Collectors?”

“Damn it, Williams. You’re so focused on Cerberus that you’re ignoring the real threat!” Garrus exclaimed.

“If the Alliance would do something to stop this I would be right there at the front. But, you know that. You just can’t see it.”

“Or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe it’s you.” Ash let out a sigh. “Doesn’t matter. I still know where my loyalties lie. I’m an Alliance soldier. It’s in my blood.” She took a step back. “I’m reporting back to the Citadel. Let them decide if they believe your story.”

“Or, you could stay.” Shepard offered. “You could join my crew Ash. The unknown enemy. Impossible odds…”

“No, it won’t. I might have been guilty of not liking aliens, but Cerberus are extremists. I’ll never work for a group like that. So long, Commander.” Ashley paused as she turned to leave. “Oh, one more thing. A big sister’s got to do-”

Shepard didn’t duck. She didn’t flinch as Ash’s armoured fist came towards her. She felt the punch on the visor of her helmet. If she hadn’t been wearing it, Ashley would have easily broken her nose. Everyone else in the squad, apart from Garrus, responded by pulling guns on Miranda.

“That’s for Blue.”

Shepard gestured for them to lower their weapons. “Say for me, if you see her?”

Ash looked disgusted as she left shaking her head.

Jane groaned. “Joker, send our position to the shuttle. I think I’ve had just about enough of this colony.”


End file.
